Class 10 English Chapter 1 Question Answers - First Flight

The  Class 10 English chapter "Two Stories about Flying" is split into two parts. In the second part titled "Black Aeroplane", the writer narrates the story about a student who is returning back to England on a flight. The story describes the events that happen on the way and his narrow escape from death with the help of a mysterious Aeroplane. Here are a few Short Answer Questions based on this section. 

Q.1. Why was the pilot happy? Give two reasons
Ans. He was happy because he was flying up above the sleeping countryside. Secondly, he was going to be with his family.

Q.2. Why did the pilot call the Paris Control Room the first time?
Ans. He called the Paris Control Room to guide him on his way to England.

Q.3. What was the advice of the Paris Control?
Ans. The Paris Control advised him to turn twelve degrees west.

Q.4. How many fuel tanks were there on the plane? How much fuel was left?
Ans. There were two fuel tanks on the plane. There was fuel for five or ten minutes only.

Q.5. What did the pilot encounter 150 kilometres from Paris?
Ans. He encountered big stormy clouds 150 kilometres from Paris.

Q.6. Why did the pilot fly straight into the storm instead of returning to Paris?
Ans. He did not return to Paris because he wanted to get home.

Q.7. Did Paris control hear the pilot the second time he called? Why?
Ans. The Paris Control did not hear him because his radio had gone dead.

Q.8. Which plane was the narrator flying?
Ans. He was flying the old Dakota plane DS088.

Q.9. Which country was the narrator flying his plane over?
Ans. He was flying his plane over France.

Q.10. What type of story is the ‘Black Aeroplane ?’
Ans. It is a mysterious story.

Q.11. What happened when the author turned the aeroplane twelve degrees west towards England?
Ans. The author saw the huge storm clouds that looked like black mountains standing in front of him across the sky

Q.12. Explain the statement: ‘I was very happy to go behind the strange aeroplane like an obedient child.
Ans. The pilot came across huge storm clouds. He could neither go above them nor go around them due to lack of fuel. Then, he saw a black plane without lights on wings, flying near his plane. Its pilot waved and signalled him to follow him. The author did not have much choice but to follow him.

Q.13. “I’ll take the risk.” What is the risk? Why does the pilot of the old Dakota take it?
Ans. The risk is that of going through the storm in the narrator’s old Dakota aeroplane. He flew through as he did not have fuel to fly around them, and couldn’t fly over them. Also, he wanted to get home for a big English breakfast.

Q.14. Why did the pilot think of going back to Paris?
Ans. The pilot came across huge storm clouds that seemed to him like black mountains. He could neither go above them nor go around them due to lack of fuel. That was when he thought of returning to Paris.

Q.15. Which two options did the pilot of’ the Dakota plane have when he encountered the storm clouds on his way? What did he decide to do? Why?
Ans. The two options he had were: either to go back to Paris or to go through the storm clouds. He decided to go through the storm clouds because he wanted to reach home and spend the holiday with his family.

Q.16. Why could the woman in the control room not help the pilot of Dakota?
Ans. When the pilot of the Dakota plane asked the woman in the control centre about the black aeroplane and its pilot, she could not help him because she had seen no other plane flying that night on the radar.

Q.17. Describe the black clouds from the point of view of the pilot.
Ans. The writer was going from France to England. He was flying his Dakota aeroplane. When he had gone 150 kilometres from France, he saw storm clouds. They were huge. They looked like black mountains standing in front of him across the sky.

Q.18. Recount the experience of the pilot of the Dakota inside the black clouds.
Ans. The pilot found that everything was black inside the clouds. It was impossible to see anything outside the aeroplane. The old aeroplane rolled and jumped in the air. The compass and other instruments stopped working. Suddenly his radio also went dead.

Q.19. How did the black aeroplane rescue the first pilot?
Ans. The pilot of the black aeroplane waved his hand. He gestured the first pilot to follow him. The writer followed him. He followed the black plane for half an hour. Suddenly, his plane was out of the clouds. He could see the lights of the airport and landed his aeroplane. In this way, the black aeroplane rescued the first pilot

Q.20. Was the pilot of the Dakota able to meet the pilot of the black?
Ans. No, he was not able to meet the pilot of the black aeroplane. When he was going to land his plane, he looked behind him. But the black plane was not there. The sky was empty. The woman at the control centre told him that no other planes were flying on that stormy night.

Q.21. Describe the black clouds from the point of view of the pilot.
Ans. The writer was going from France to England. He was flying his Dakota aeroplane. When he had gone 150 kilometres from Paris, he saw storm clouds. They were huge. They looked like black mountains standing in front of him across the sky.

Q.22. Why did the writer feel frightened once again?
Ans. The pilot of the black plane waved to the writer to follow him. The writer flew his plane behind him for half an hour. He found that there was fuel in his aeroplane for five or ten minutes more. So he felt frightened once again.

Q.23. Why was the narrator happy and what was he dreaming of?
Ans. It was a clear and cloudless night. The moon had come up in the east. Stars were shining above. The narrator was happy. He was flying high up above the sleeping countryside. He was dreaming of his holiday and being with his family.

Q.24. Why and when did he call Paris control-room?
Ans. It was one-thirty in the morning. He wanted to call Paris control. He switched on the radio and told that Dakota DS 088 was on his way to England. The narrator got the necessary instruction that he needed. He was asked to turn twelve degrees west towards England.

Q.25. What did he find when he checked the map and the compass?
Ans. The narrator checked the map and the compass. He switched over to his second and last fuel tank. He turned the Dakota twelve degrees west towards England. He thought that he would be in time for breakfast. Everything was going well and it was an easy flight.

Q.26. Why didn’t he return to Paris when he saw the storm clouds?
Ans. Paris was 150 kilometres behind him when he saw the storm clouds. They were huge. They looked like black mountains standing in front of him. He could not fly up and over them as he didn’t have enough fuel. He thought of going back to Paris but changed his idea. He decided to go to England to be in time for breakfast.

Q.27. The narrator had two options before risking himself entering the storm clouds? Why didn’t he choose them?
Ans. Definitely, the narrator had two options before him if he didn’t want to take the risk of entering the storm cloud. He could turn back and go to Paris which was about 150 kilometres behind him. Another option was to fly up and over the dark clouds. But he didn’t choose any of the options. He wanted to be in England to have his breakfast in time. He couldn’t fly around the clouds to the north or south as he didn’t have enough fuel to fly.

Q.28. What did he do when he was inside the clouds?
Ans. The narrator took the risk of entering the black storm clouds. Inside them, everything was suddenly black. Nothing could be seen outside. The old plane jumped and twisted in the air. He couldn’t believe his eyes when his compass was dead. His other instruments didn’t work and were dead too. He tried to contact Paris control on the raids but received no answer.

Q.29. How was the narrator lost in the storm clouds and what did he try to do to come out of them
Ans. The narrator had entered the storm clouds. Nothing was seen outside. Everything suddenly turned black. The old plane jumped and twirled in the sky. He looked at the compass. It was dead. He tried other instruments but they also refused to work. He tried the radio to contact Paris control but no answer came from there.

Also Check at EduRev:

• NCERT Solutions: Two Stories about Flying 
• Character Sketch: Two Stories about Flying - 2
  

Q.30. Who rescued the narrator when he was hopelessly lost in the storm clouds?
Ans. There seemed no hope for the narrator. He was hopelessly lost in the storm clouds. His compass and other instruments were dead. Even Paris control didn’t respond. In such a hopeless situation, the narrator saw another aeroplane flying next to him. It had no light on its winds but he could see the pilot’s face. The pilot came to his help. When he said “Follow me,” the narrator followed him like an obedient child.

Q.31. How and when did the narrator feel that he was safe now?
Ans. When the pilot of another plane came to the narrator’s help, he was extremely happy. When he said “Follow me,” the narrator obeyed him like an obedient child. The strange black aeroplane was still guiding him. The narrator got worried as the old Dakota had petrol enough to fly for five or ten minutes. Suddenly when he was going down, he found himself out of clouds. He saw two long straight lines of lights of the runway. There was an airport where he could land safely.

Q.32. Did the narrator meet the pilot of the black aeroplane? How did he and his aeroplane disappear in the sky?
Ans. No, the narrator didn’t meet his rescuer. When he was out of the storm clouds, he looked back. He found no trace of the aeroplane. Nor did he see the face of the pilot. Only God knows where they disappeared. Even the control room couldn’t record their presence.

Q.33. Why did the narrator want to meet the woman in the control tower? Did he get any information about the mysterious disappearance of the black aeroplane and its pilot?
Ans. The narrator didn’t know how the pilot and the black aeroplane disappeared in the space. He wanted some definite information from the woman in the control room about them. She told him that on that stormy night no plane was in the sky except his old Dakota. So, the narrator didn't know anything about the mysterious man who helped him to arrive safely without a compass or a radio.

Q.34. What is the message that Frederick want to give to the readers through the lesson ‘The Black Aeroplane’?
Ans. Never say ‘die’ till the end. Never lose hope in the most hopeless situation. No one knows who may come to save you. The narrator was really in such a hopeless situation when he lost contact with Paris control and all his instruments and the compass was dead. Then came the mysterious pilot of the black aeroplane to guide the narrator to safety.

If you want to make the most of your studies and get the grades you deserve, then EduRev is a perfect choice!