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The Black Aeroplane Summary in English by Frederick Forsyth
The Black Aeroplane by Frederick Forsyth About the Author
| Author Name | Frederick Forsyth |
| Born | 25 August 1938 (age 81 years), Ashford, United Kingdom |
| Years of service | 1956–1958 |
| Movies and TV shows | The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, MORE |
| Awards | Edgar Award for Best Novel, Cartier Diamond Dagger, MORE |
| Plays | Love Never Dies |
The Black Aeroplane Summary in English
The present story offers a psychological insight into a character under stress. It is an interesting account of the narrator’s encounter with the pilot of a black aeroplane who comes to his rescue in distress. It is a mystery built around the black aeroplane and its pilot.
A pilot was flying an old Dakota aeroplane at lO’clock at night. The stars were shining and there was not a trace of clouds. The sky was clear and the plane was flying over France and going back to England. The pilot was extremely happy. He was lost in the dreams of his holiday and family. Around 1:30 a.m. he called Paris Control Room to enquire about the route and location. The Control Room instructed him to turn twelve degrees west. The pilot checked the map and the compass, switched over to his second and last fuel tank and turned the plane twelve degrees west towards England. He expected to join his family for the breakfast.
When Paris was 150 km behind, the pilot saw the black storm clouds approaching the plane. He could not fly over them. Also he didn’t have enough fuel to fly around them south or north. Initially, he thought of going back to Paris but his strong urge to meet his family members led him straight into the storm. It was absolutely dark inside the clouds. The plane was jumping and twisting in the air. All the instruments had stopped working. The pilot lost his contact with the ground staff because his compass and radio had stopped functioning.
Suddenly he saw another aeroplane quite near him. That strange black aeroplane had no lights on its wings. The pilot of the black aeroplane asked him to follow him. The pilot flew in the clouds for half an hour. He had only fuel left to fly another fifteen minutes. The pilot was frightened. Suddenly the black aeroplane descended and the pilot followed him. Finally, the black aeroplane guided him to an airport for landing. The pilot was thrilled to see the runway but when he turned his head to thank the pilot of the black aeroplane he couldn’t see him anywhere.
After landing, the pilot immediately rushed to the Control Centre and enquired about the black aeroplane which guided him all the way to the airport. The woman on duty at the Control Centre told him that no other plane was seen flying that night. She had seen only his plane on the radar. The pilot was surprised to hear all this and kept on wondering who had helped him to arrive and land safely without a compass or a radio and without any more fuel left in his tank. He kept thinking abgut that strange black aeroplane and its mysterious pilot.
The Black Aeroplane Summary Questions and Answers
Question 1.
Why was the pilot happy? Give two reasons.
Answer:
The pilot was happy for the following two reasons:
(i) He was alone high up above the sleeping countryside.
(ii) He was dreaming of his holiday and looking forward to being with his family.
Question 2.
(i) Why did the pilot call the Paris Control the first time?
(ii) What was the advice of the Paris Control?
Answer:
(i) The first time, the pilot called the Paris Control Room to enquire about the location of the plane and the route to be followed.
(ii) The Paris Control advised him to turn twelve degrees west towards England.
Question 3.
How many fuel tanks were there in the plane? How much fuel was left?
Answer:
There were two fuel tanks in the plane. The pilot had already switched over to second and the last tank so there was enough fuel only to fly back to England.
Question 4.
What did the pilot encounter while 150 km away from Paris?
Answer:
The pilot encounterd black stormy clouds, 150 kilometres away from Paris.
Question 5.
Why did the pilot fly straight into the storm instead of returning to Paris?
Answer:
The pilot had a strong desire to get back home and have breakfast with his family. That is why, pilot took the risk and flew straight into the storm instead of going back to Paris.
Question 6.
Did the Paris Control hear the pilot, the second time he called? Why?
Answer:
No, because when the pilot tried to contact the Paris Control Room, he failed to do so as his radio was dead.
Question 7.
Describe the black clouds from the point of view of the pilot.
Answer:
When Paris was about 150 kilometres behind me, I saw the black clouds in front of me. They were huge clouds looked like black mountains standing in front of me across the sky. They were stormy and I could not fly up and over them.
Question 8.
How did the black aeroplane rescue the first pilot?
Answer:
The pilot of the black aeroplane guided the first pilot and helped him arrive safely at the airport.
Question 9.
Was the pilot of the Dakota able to meet the pilot of the black aeroplane?
Answer:
No, the pilot of the Dakota could not meet the pilot of the black aeroplane. TheTirst pilot even went to the Control Room to find who the other pilot was, but he could not find him. The black aeroplane disappeared without being seen by anyone even on the ‘radar’.