This is a mysterious story. The writer was flying his Dakota aeroplane. Suddenly, he was caught in a big cloud and his compass, radio and other instruments failed. There was not much fuel in his plane. Suddenly he saw a black aeroplane near him. The pilot in that plane guided him. As a result he was able to land safely. But he was greatly surprised when the woman at the control centre told him that there had been no other plane except the writer’s Dakota on the sky that night.
Important Question and Answers
Q. Why did the pilot decide to fly through the clouds?
Ans. The pilot decided to fly through the clouds because he wanted to reach England desperately and also he could not fly up and over the huge clouds in his old Dakota.
Q. Describe the sky when ‘Dakota’ took off from Paris.
Ans. When ‘Dakota’ took off from Paris, the sky was quite clear. The moon was coming up in the east and the stars were shining. There were no clouds in the sky. The climatic condition was ideal.
Q. The pilot was lost in the storm. Who rescued him and how?
Ans. The pilot of the black aeroplane, asked the lost pilot to follow him. The black aeroplane was flying in front of him, cutting the clouds and showing him the way. Then he flew down and disappeared. Following him the pilot came out of the clouds.
Q. Why did the pilot call the Paris Control Room the first time? Why could he not contact it the second time?
Ans. The pilot called the Paris Control Room to inform the airport authorities about his flight to England. He also wanted to ask for the proper direction. He could not contact it the second time because his radio was dead due to storm.
Q. “I’ll take the risk” What is the risk? Why does the pilot of the old Dakota take it?
Ans. The risk was of flying the old Dakota aeroplane into the storm. The pilot took it as he wished to reach home as soon as possible and to be present at the breakfast table with his family in the morning.
Q. What difficulties did the narrator face while flying in the storm?
Ans. The difficulties that the narrator faced were that all the instruments of his aeroplane stopped working. He could not see any thing as there were dark clouds all around. The radio became dead and the compass was turning round and round.
Q. A pilot is lost in the storm clouds. Does he arrive safe? Who helps him?
Ans. Yes, the pilot arrives safe on the runway. He is helped by another pilot of a mysterious plane. He vanishes soon after the narrator landed on the airport. The pilot of the other plane guided him to a safe landing.
Q. What shocked the narrator after landing safely?
Ans. The narrator was shocked to land safely after struggling against the black storm. Besides, he wanted to thank the other pilot who showed him the way, but he too nowhere to be seen. It was a sort of secret help, of which no one was aware.
Q. From the beginning to the end of the lesson the black aeroplane is a mystery. How?
Ans. The narrator started his journey with old Dakota – 088. At that time, the sky was clear. But suddenly, he found himself in the midst of black clouds. There was zero visibility, everything was black. He couldn’t find any way to escape. To his shock, the compass and the radio were dead. He was lost in the storm. All of a sudden, the narrator saw a black aeroplane and was helped by the other pilot. For half an hour he was flying behind that plane like an obedient child. There was only enough fuel in the tank to fly for five or ten minutes when suddenly he saw two rows of lights. It was a runway in front of him. He safely landed at the airport. He went to the control centre to ask who the other pilot was. To his horror, his was the only flight that could be seen on the radar. Who was the other pilot on the strange black aeroplane flying in the storm, without lights, remained a mystery till the end.
Q. Describe the narrator’s experience as he flew the aeroplane into the storm.
Ans. The narrator was in a hurry to reach England although he had little fuel. He felt home sick and missed his home. So, he took the risk to fly on low fuel. Suddenly, he lost contact with Paris due to cloudy storm. Inside the clouds, every thing was suddenly black. It was impossible for him to see anything outside the aeroplane. His plane jumped and twisted in the air. He looked at the compass and to his surprise, it was moving round and round. It was dead. All the other instruments were dead. He tried the radio but in vain. He was lost in the storm. Just then a black aeroplane appeared. He was helped by the mysterious pilot and was able to land safely. The other aeroplane had no lights on its wings, but the narrator could see it flying next to him. He could see other pilot’s face. He lifted one hand and waved at the narrator and asked him to follow him. Narrator’s fuel was getting over. But the other pilot guided him down and made his safe landing. After that, the pilot and the aeroplane, both disappeared.
Q. How did the author come out safely from the black clouds?
Ans. The author took the risk of flying through the black clouds. He couldn’t see anything. The aeroplane jumped and twisted up every now and then. All his instruments had stopped working. The radio and compass were both dead. Suddenly, he saw another plane with no lights on its wings. The other pilot gestured him to follow his plane and turned his aeroplane slowly to the north in front of the author’s Dakota, so that it would be easier for him to follow. The author was glad to follow him like an obedient child. After half an hour, the strange black plane was still guiding the author in the clouds. Suddenly, he saw two long straight lines of lights in front of him. It was a runaway. He was safe and landed safely out of the clouds. After landing, he went to the control room to find who was the other pilot who saved him. He wanted to thank the pilot but the pilot and his aeroplane both had disappeared. It was a mystery.
Q. Explain what was crossing the author’s mind when he was flying over Paris. Suddenly what happened?
Ans. It was very early morning when the author was flying his old Dakota aeroplane over Paris. Everything seemed to be in perfect order specially the weather and the nice thought of a delicious breakfast waiting back home, then meeting his family and also the holiday waiting for him. Even the guidelines by the Paris control room and the Dakota’s instruments, fuel tank etc. were in perfect order. But the author’s excitement was short lived as soon as the aeroplane entered into a huge black cloud all the gadgets stopped working. He was completely taken over by fear and worry.