Black Aeroplane | CBSE Class 10 English Notes

Black Aeroplane: the Dakota flight from France to England, storm clouds and dead instruments, the strange black aeroplane, landing and the control centre, risk, fear and unexplained help, key quotations, activities on black and fly and reading questions and discussion tasks.

What kind of story is the Dakota pilot's night flight?

The story is a first-person narrative told by the pilot of an old Dakota aeroplane. The story is by Frederick Forsyth, and the pilot's own voice carries the whole account.

He begins in a clear night sky over France, flying back to England, and the mood is easy and untroubled.

From a calm flight to an unexplained rescue

The telling moves through three clear stages. First comes the pleasant night flight, with the moon rising and the stars shining. Then the pilot flies straight into storm clouds and loses his instruments.

It ends with a safe landing that nobody on the ground can explain, since no other aeroplane was flying that night.

The title points to the strange black aeroplane that appears beside the Dakota inside the clouds. It has no lights on its wings, yet its pilot waves and guides the lost narrator through the storm.

After the Dakota comes out of the clouds, this aeroplane is gone, and the woman in the control centre says his was the only one she could see on the radar.

The story therefore ends on a question rather than an answer, which is what gives it its hold.

What happens in the story, part by part?

Beginning: a night flight to England

At one thirty in the morning, the narrator flies his old Dakota over France back to England. The sky is clear, the countryside is sleeping, and he is dreaming of his holiday and looking forward to being with his family.

He calls Paris Control, giving the plane as Dakota DS 088. The voice tells him to turn twelve degrees west, so he checks the map and compass, switches to his second and last fuel tank, and turns towards England.

Main events: into the storm and a strange guide

Paris is about 150 kilometres behind when he sees huge storm clouds like black mountains. He cannot fly up and over them, and he lacks fuel to go around them north or south.

He thinks he ought to return to Paris but wants home and breakfast. He decides, “I’ll take the risk,” and flies straight into the storm.

Inside, everything is black and he cannot see outside. The compass turns round and round and is dead, other instruments fail, and the radio gives no answer.

Lost, he sees another aeroplane in the black clouds. It has no lights on its wings, but its pilot lifts one hand and signals him to follow.

The strange plane turns north in front of the Dakota, and he follows like an obedient child. After half an hour only five or ten minutes of fuel remain, but the black aeroplane goes down and he follows through the storm.

Ending: the runway, the empty sky and the control centre

He comes out of the clouds and sees two long straight lines of lights: a runway and an airport. He is safe, but when he turns to look for his friend in the black aeroplane, the sky is empty and the plane is gone.

He lands near the control tower and asks a woman in the control centre where he is and who the other pilot was. She looks at him strangely, then laughs and says no other aeroplanes were flying that night.

She tells him, “Yours was the only one I could see on the radar.” He wonders who helped him arrive safely without a compass, radio or extra fuel.

Who are the characters, and what are they like?

The Dakota pilot

The narrator flies his old Dakota DS 088 over France back to England. He is eager to get home, dreaming of his holiday, looking forward to his family and thinking, “I’ll be in time for breakfast.” He is also methodical: he checks the map and compass and switches to his second and last fuel tank.

When storm clouds stand ahead like black mountains, he weighs going back to Paris but chooses to go on. He says, “I’ll take the risk,” and flies the Dakota straight into the storm, so he is willing to take a risk to reach home.

Paris Control

Paris Control answers the pilot’s radio call immediately. The voice gives a precise instruction: “You ought to turn twelve degrees west now, DS 088. Over.” This makes Paris Control a prompt and helpful voice at the start, though later the radio is dead and there is no answer.

The pilot of the black aeroplane

The strange pilot appears in the black clouds, flying an aeroplane with no lights on its wings. He lifts one hand and waves, and the narrator understands him to be saying, “Follow me.” He turns slowly to the north in front of the Dakota and later goes down, guiding the narrator out of the storm.

He is mysterious because he vanishes once the runway appears, leaving the sky empty, and helpful because he leads a lost pilot through the clouds.

The woman in the control centre

The narrator asks her where he is and who the other pilot was. She looks at him strangely and laughs, then says, “No other aeroplanes were flying tonight.

Yours was the only one I could see on the radar.” Her disbelief is clear in her laugh and in her blunt report from the radar.

How does the black storm change the Dakota pilot's confidence?

Confidence before the clouds

The flight begins in calm conditions: “There wasn’t a cloud in the sky” and the pilot is “happy to be alone high up above the sleeping countryside.” He looks forward to breakfast and treats the journey as an easy flight.

Then the storm clouds appear. They are “huge” and look “like black mountains standing in front of me across the sky,” so the clear sky becomes a barrier. He knows he cannot fly over them and lacks enough fuel to go around them.

Although he thinks, “I ought to go back to Paris,” he chooses home and breakfast: “I’ll take the risk.” This decision shows confidence being tested by a practical limit, not simply by fear.

Fear inside the storm

Inside, “everything was suddenly black” and the old aeroplane “jumped and twisted in the air.” The compass turned “round and round and round” before it was “dead,” and the other instruments and radio failed as well.

With no radio, no compass and no view of where he is, the pilot is lost. His earlier ease is replaced by dependence on a strange black aeroplane whose pilot waves and says, “Follow me.”

When the last tank held enough fuel for “five or ten minutes more,” he began “to feel frightened again.” The storm had turned a confident, easy flight into a struggle to reach a runway.

Why is the black aeroplane's disappearance unsettling?

A close and guiding presence

The other aeroplane appears quite near in the black clouds. It has no lights on its wings, yet the Dakota pilot can see the other pilot’s face turned towards him. This closeness makes the help feel direct and personal rather than distant.

The pilot is “very glad to see another person”. The strange pilot lifts one hand and waves, and the Dakota pilot understands the signal as “Follow me”. The wave and signal make the strange aeroplane seem a helper who knows the pilot is lost.

The Dakota pilot goes behind the aeroplane “like an obedient child”. The black aeroplane stays in front for half an hour before it starts to go down, and the Dakota pilot follows through the storm.

No trace after landing

After coming out of the clouds, the Dakota pilot lands safely and turns to look for his friend in the black aeroplane. The sky was empty: “The black aeroplane was gone.” There is nothing there to see or thank.

He asks a woman in the control centre who the other pilot is, because he wants to say “Thank you”. The woman laughs and says, “No other aeroplanes were flying tonight.”

Her words make the help seem real to the pilot, yet impossible to confirm. The rescue is complete, but the helper cannot be found, questioned or thanked. This sudden absence is what makes the disappearance unsettling.

What themes emerge from the Dakota pilot's risky flight?

Theme 1: Home and family against risk

He is flying back to England, dreaming of his holiday and looking forward to being with his family. The wish for home and that breakfast pushes him to decide, “I’ll take the risk”, and fly straight into the storm. Home matters more than safety.

Theme 2: Fear and relief

Inside the clouds everything is suddenly black, and the old aeroplane jumps and twists. With the compass and radio dead, he is lost; later, only enough fuel remains for five or ten minutes, and he feels frightened again. The runway brings relief: “I was safe!”

Theme 3: Helplessness when instruments fail

The compass turns “round and round and round” and is dead; the other instruments and the radio fail too. He has no radio, no compass, and cannot see where he is. He cannot work out his position. The failure leaves him helpless in the storm.

Theme 4: Trust in a strange guide

A strange aeroplane with no lights on its wings appears, and its pilot waves him on. He follows like an obedient child, trusting the guide through the storm. The guide only signals with a wave. This choice shows trust in help he does not understand.

Theme 5: Mystery and unanswered questions

After landing, the woman in the control centre says that no other aeroplanes were flying that night. The black aeroplane has gone, and the narrator asks who helped him arrive safely without a compass, radio or more fuel. No answer comes. The help remains unexplained.

What are the key quotations from the Dakota pilot's flight?

These lines trace the Dakota pilot’s easy night flight, his risky entry into storm clouds, his loss of instruments and the strange black aeroplane that guides him down.

THE moon was coming up in the east, behind me, and stars were shining in the clear sky above me.

Speaker: the narrator. Context: At the opening, the narrator describes the clear night sky as he flies the old Dakota over France. The bright moon and stars establish the calm, easy flight that will soon be broken by storm clouds.

DS 088, I can hear you. You ought to turn twelve degrees west now, DS 088. Over.

Speaker: the voice from the radio. Context: After the narrator calls Paris Control, the radio voice replies immediately and gives the course. This routine instruction shows the flight is still normal and controlled before the storm.

Storm clouds. They were huge. They looked like black mountains standing in front of me across the sky.

Speaker: the narrator. Context: After Paris is behind him, he sees storm clouds ahead. The comparison to black mountains shows the danger blocking his route and prepares for his risky decision.

I’ll take the risk

Speaker: the narrator. Context: He thinks he ought to go back but wants home and breakfast. This line marks his choice to fly straight into the storm rather than turn back.

the compass was turning round and round and round. It was dead.

Speaker: the narrator. Context: Inside the storm, the old aeroplane jumps and twists. The spinning compass and its failure show that he has lost his main means of navigation.

I saw another aeroplane. It had no lights on its wings

Speaker: the narrator. Context: Lost in the black clouds, he notices a second aircraft flying beside him. Its lack of wing lights makes the strange black aeroplane mysterious even as it offers help.

The black aeroplane was gone. I could not see it anywhere.

Speaker: the narrator. Context: After he emerges and sees the runway, he looks for his helper. The empty sky and vanished aircraft deepen the mystery of who guided him.

Who was the pilot on the strange black aeroplane, flying in the storm, without lights?

Speaker: the narrator. Context: The story closes with the narrator asking who the pilot was after the woman says no other aeroplanes were flying. The unanswered question leaves the black aeroplane unexplained.

How do the activities explore the meanings of black and fly?

Two senses of “black”

The exercise contrasts four sentences. In “They looked like black mountains” and “In the black clouds near me, I saw another aeroplane”, black is the very darkest colour.

In “Inside the clouds, everything was suddenly black” and “The strange black aeroplane was there”, it means without light or with no light. The exercise also gives “black tea” for tea without milk.

In the example about pollution, “the future of the world is black” means very depressing or without hope. Learners then guess the sense in these phrases and check a dictionary:

• Hands and face that are “absolutely black”
• A “black look”
• “The blackest crimes against humanity”
• “Black comedy”
• Selling goods “in black”
• Beaten “black and blue”

Phrases with “fly”

The next exercise distinguishes “fly” as controlling an aircraft from a bird moving through the air using its wings. It also gives “Children are flying kites” and asks for matching. The table separates display, sudden anger, quick movement, success and escape.

Words close to “fly”

A tick-box task asks which listed words have the same or nearly the same meaning as “fly”. It includes swoop, flit, flutter, ascend, hover, glide and soar, among others such as flap.

How can the reading questions about the Dakota pilot be answered?

The risk and the storm

Why does the narrator take the risk? The storm clouds look like black mountains, and he cannot fly over them or around them with the fuel he has. He wants to get home and have breakfast, so he flies straight into the storm.

Describe his experience in the storm. Inside the clouds everything is suddenly black, and it is impossible to see anything outside the aeroplane. The compass and other instruments are dead, the radio gives no answer, and he is lost.

A strange aeroplane with no lights on its wings appears. Its pilot waves him on as if to say “Follow me.”

Landing and the control centre

Why is he not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota? He has come through the storm and is safe, so walking away from the aeroplane near the control tower after landing brings relief rather than regret.

What made the woman look at him strangely? He asks her who the other pilot was, and she laughs. She says no other aeroplanes were flying that night and his was the only one she could see on the radar.

The unexplained rescue

Who helped him reach safely, and who piloted the black aeroplane? The story leaves this open. He arrives without a compass, a radio or extra fuel, and the black aeroplane then vanishes.

A sample answer is that an unknown pilot helped him. The activity invites discussion with reasons.

Which discussion and writing tasks grow out of the Dakota pilot's flight?

Personal Narratives

One writing task asks learners whether they have ever been alone or away from home during a thunderstorm, and then to narrate that experience in a paragraph. The task keeps the storm as a setting for the learner's own memory.

The Phantom Plane

Learners give their ideas about the phantom plane: was it really there, or did the pilot imagine it? If they feel it was really there, they consider who could have been piloting it. They discuss this among themselves and give reasons for their answers.

Flight Stories and Word Play

Learners narrate their own stories about flying, which could concern flying in an aeroplane, flying a kite or watching a bird fly, anything to do with flight. They get ten minutes to think quietly and make notes before volunteer speakers are invited.

A short compound-word task notes several oddities. The heading points out that the parts of these compound words can mean just the opposite or something else.

• Quicksand works slowly.
• There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger, and neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
• Boxing rings are square.

Glossary

• Dakota: The old aeroplane the narrator flies over France back to England; on the radio it is called DS 088.
• Paris Control: The voice that answers the narrator on the radio and tells him to turn twelve degrees west.
• Compass: The instrument that shows direction; inside the storm it turned round and round and was dead.
• Fuel tank: A container of fuel for the aeroplane; the narrator switched to his second and last before turning west.
• Runway: The long straight strip of ground lit by lights where an aeroplane lands; the narrator saw two long lines of lights.
• Radar: The equipment at the airport that showed the woman the narrator's aeroplane was the only one flying that night.
• Control centre: The place where the narrator asked a woman where he was and who the other pilot was.
• Storm clouds: The huge clouds that looked like black mountains standing across the sky in front of the narrator.
• Black tea: Tea without milk, given as one meaning of the word black in the exercise on its senses.
• Fly into rage: To become suddenly very angry; a phrase with fly matched to this meaning in the exercise.
• Fly the coop: To escape from a place; another phrase with fly listed with its meaning in the exercise.
• Phantom plane: The strange black aeroplane in the storm; a point to discuss is whether it was really there or imagined.

Common errors and misconceptions

• Misconception: The narrator's compass, other instruments and radio died because he switched to his last fuel tank. Correct: He switched over to his second and last fuel tank while still in clear sky, just after Paris Control's call. The instruments and radio died suddenly after he flew straight into the storm.
• Misconception: The narrator turned back to Paris when he saw the storm clouds. Correct: He thought he ought to go back to Paris, but he wanted to get home and that breakfast, so he took the risk and flew the old Dakota straight into the storm.
• Misconception: The black aeroplane had lights on its wings. Correct: It had no lights on its wings, yet the narrator could see it flying next to him through the storm and could see the pilot's face turned towards him.
• Misconception: The woman in the control centre saw the strange black aeroplane on the radar. Correct: She said no other aeroplanes were flying that night and that his was the only one she could see on the radar, which is why she looked at him strangely and laughed.
• Misconception: The narrator could have flown up over the storm clouds or around them. Correct: He knew he could not fly up and over them, and he did not have enough fuel to fly around them to the north or south.
• Misconception: In the sentence about everything being suddenly black inside the clouds, black means the very darkest colour. Correct: There it means without light or with no light, as the exercise explains, while in phrases like black mountains it refers to the very darkest colour.

Exam-style questions with model answers

Q1. Paris was about 150 kilometres behind the narrator when he saw storm clouds. He knew he could not fly up and over them, and he did not have enough fuel to fly around them to the north or south. He thought that he would take the risk and flew the old Dakota straight into the storm, though he wanted to get home and wanted that breakfast. What is the risk he takes, and why does he take it? [2 marks]

1. The risk is flying into the storm, as he cannot fly over the clouds or around them for lack of fuel.
2. He takes it because he wants to get home and wants that breakfast, so he flies into the storm.

Q2. Inside the clouds everything was suddenly black, and the compass, the other instruments and the radio were dead. Only enough fuel was left in the last tank for five or ten minutes more, and he was frightened again before he came out of the clouds. After landing he says, “I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota.” Why is he not sorry to walk away from the aeroplane? [2 marks]

1. The compass, instruments and radio were dead, so he had no radio, no compass and could not see where he was.
2. Only enough fuel was left for five or ten minutes more, so he was glad to land safely.

Q3. Before entering the storm, the narrator thinks, “I ought to go back to Paris,” but also “I wanted to get home. I wanted that breakfast.” He then thinks, “I’ll take the risk,” and flies the old Dakota straight into the storm. What is the risk he takes, and what does this decision show about his character? [3 marks]

1. The risk is flying the old Dakota into huge black storm clouds even though he knows he cannot fly up and over them.
2. He also knows he does not have enough fuel to fly around the storm to the north or south, so entering it puts him in danger.
3. His decision shows a strong wish to reach home and family and a willingness to accept danger rather than turn back to Paris.

Q4. The narrator asked a woman in the control centre where he was and who the other pilot was, because he wanted to say thank you. She looked at him very strangely, laughed and said, “No other aeroplanes were flying tonight. Yours was the only one I could see on the radar.” Earlier, in the storm, he had seen another aeroplane with no lights on its wings, whose pilot lifted one hand and waved, saying “Follow me.” Why did the woman look at him strangely and laugh, and what questions does her answer leave with him? [4 marks]

1. He asked the woman where he was and who the other pilot was, because he wanted to say thank you.
2. She looked at him strangely and laughed, because no other aeroplanes were flying that night and his was the only one on the radar.
3. He had seen a black aeroplane with no lights on its wings, and its pilot waved him on through the storm.
4. He is left asking who helped him arrive safely without a compass or radio, and who was the pilot of the strange black aeroplane.

Q5. In the storm the narrator says, “I had no radio, no compass, and I could not see where I was.” He follows a strange aeroplane whose pilot waves and says “Follow me.” After landing, the woman in the control centre says, “No other aeroplanes were flying tonight.” Describe the narrator’s experience in the storm and explain why the black aeroplane remains mysterious. [5 marks]

1. Inside the clouds everything becomes black, the old aeroplane jumps and twists, and the compass and other instruments stop working.
2. The radio gives no answer, so he has no radio, no compass and cannot see where he is; he is lost in the storm.
3. A black aeroplane with no lights on its wings appears near him; the pilot turns his face towards him, lifts one hand and waves.
4. The pilot turns slowly north in front of the Dakota so it is easier to follow; after half an hour he starts to go down and the narrator follows.
5. The narrator lands safely, but the black aeroplane disappears; the woman says no other aeroplanes were flying, so its presence is unexplained.

Q6. The exercise lists these phrases: “Fly a flag”, “Fly into rage”, “Fly along”, “Fly high”, “Fly the coop”. It gives these meanings: “Move quickly/suddenly”, “Be successful”, “Display a flag on a long pole”, “Escape from a place”, “Become suddenly very angry”. It also contrasts “I was flying my old Dakota aeroplane” with “The young seagull had been afraid to fly with them.” Match each phrase with its meaning and state the two uses of “fly” shown by the two sentences. [6 marks]

1. “Fly a flag” matches “Display a flag on a long pole”, so here fly refers to showing a flag on a pole.
2. “Fly into rage” matches “Become suddenly very angry”, so the phrase describes a person becoming angry very suddenly.
3. “Fly along” matches “Move quickly/suddenly”, so here fly suggests moving in a quick or sudden way.
4. “Fly high” matches “Be successful”, so in this phrase fly suggests achieving success.
5. “Fly the coop” matches “Escape from a place”, so here fly suggests getting away from a place.
6. The Dakota sentence uses fly for controlling an aircraft in the air; the seagull sentence uses it for moving through the air using wings.

Key takeaways

• A pilot flying an old Dakota from France to England at one thirty in the morning was happy to be alone above the sleeping countryside.
• After Paris Control advised him to turn twelve degrees west, he switched to his second and last fuel tank and headed towards England.
• Huge storm clouds like black mountains stood across the sky, and he lacked enough fuel to fly around them to the north or south.
• Wanting to reach home for breakfast, he took the risk and flew the Dakota straight into the storm.
• Inside the clouds the compass and other instruments stopped working, and the radio also failed, leaving him lost in the storm.
• A strange black aeroplane with no lights on its wings appeared, and its pilot waved and signalled him to follow.
• After he followed the strange aeroplane down through the storm, he emerged safely, but it had vanished and no other aeroplanes were flying.

Test yourself

What time did the narrator see when he looked at his watch?

He looked at his watch and saw that it was one thirty in the morning.

What instruction did Paris Control give Dakota DS 088?

Paris Control told DS 088 that he ought to turn twelve degrees west now.

Why could the narrator not fly around the storm clouds?

He did not have enough fuel to fly around the storm clouds to the north or south.

What happened to the compass inside the clouds?

The compass was turning round and round and was dead, and it would not work.

How did the pilot of the strange aeroplane signal the narrator?

He lifted one hand and waved, signalling to the narrator to follow him.

What did the narrator see when he came out of the clouds?

He saw two long straight lines of lights in front of him, which were a runway and an airport.

What did the woman in the control centre say about other aeroplanes?

She said that no other aeroplanes were flying that night and that his was the only one she could see on the radar.