3.Two Stories About Flying

Two Stories about Flying

His First Flight by Liam O’ Flaherty

Black Aeroplane by Frederick Forsryth.

Introduction

The story “His First Flight” written by Liam OH Hearty, is about how a young seagull overcame his fear and learned flying. Earlier he used to be too scared of flying as he thought that his wings are not strong enough to support him.

At last, he accidently realized his potential when he dived to get fish and made his first flight.

This story illustrates that when we make attempts, we realize our potential and abilities and become successful.

One cannot be successful until or unless one makes attempts as only then he becomes confident and believe in oneself.

About the Author Liam O’ Flaherty

Liam O'Flaherty (28 August 1896 – 7 September 1984) was an Irish novelist and short-story writer,  His genre was socialism and was writing about the common people's experience and from their perspective.

Summary

 “His First Flight” by “Liam O’ Flaherty” is beautiful story with a strong message about being successful on any venture in life. It illustrates a little account of  a young seagull who scares to fly whereas his younger siblings were practicing and flying without being scared. The young seagull was too afraid that he was not even willing to make any attempt. His parents scolded him and threatened him to be left alone but all in vain. The next day, he was left in isolation as his whole family moved to the opposite plateau. He was sad and watching his parents perfecting his younger siblings in the art of flying. He tried hard to seek their attention but nobody notices except his mother who was catching fish. Being hungry he got very happy seeing that his mother is coming to him with a fish. But she stopped midway.  In the excitement of having fish, the young seagull forgets everything and dives from the ledge. Soon he realized that he was in the air and thud, started fluttering his wings to save his life. In doing so he became confident and made his first flight.  He whole family celebrates his first flight by cheering and dancing  around him. He also tries to float and dive in the sea to catch fish . In this way he conquers his fear and made his first flight and realized that he always had a potential to fly, the only thing required was to make an attempt.

Explanation

THE young seagull was alone on his ledge. His two brothers and his sister had already flown away the day before. He had been afraid to fly with them. Somehow when he had taken a little run forward to the brink of the ledge and attempted to flap his wings he became afraid. The great expanse of sea stretched down beneath, and it was such a long way down — miles down. He felt certain that his wings would never support him; so he bent his head and ran away back to the little hole under the ledge where he slept at night.

Word meanings

• Seagull- a bird that lives near the sea and has short legs, long wings, and white and grey feathers

• Ledge- a narrow horizontal shelf projecting from a wall (or here) a cliff.
• Brink- the extreme edge of land before a steep slope or a body or water
• Expanse- a wide continuous area of something

The story starts with a young seagull who has to learn flying. However, he is all alone on his ledge as he is too afraid of flying while his younger siblings have already made their flights. When he went near the edge with his siblings to fly, all Flew away except him as he couldn’t gather courage and got terrified by the depth below his ledge and vast expanse of  the sea. Being convinced that his wings are not strong enough to support him he  ran back to the hole in his ledge where he slept at night.

Even when each of his brothers and his little sister, whose wings were far shorter than his own, ran to the brink, flapped their wings, and flew away, he failed to muster up courage to take that plunge which appeared to him so desperate. His father and mother had come around calling to him shrilly, upbraiding him, threatening to let him starve on his ledge unless he flew away. But for the life of him he could not move.

Flapped- (of a bird) move (its wings) up and down when flying or preparing to fly

Word meanings.

• Muster- gather
• Plunge- jump or dive
• Shrilly- with a high pitched and piercing voice or sound
• Upbraiding- scold

His younger siblings took their first flight even though they had small wings   than that of young seagull. Although he tried so desperately but he could not gather courage to dive from the ledge.  His parents scolded him but he was too afraid that he couldn’t even move.

That was twenty-four hours ago. Since then nobody had come near him. The day before, all day long, he had watched his parents flying about with his brothers and sister, perfecting them in the art of flight, teaching them how to skim the waves and how to dive for fish. He had, in fact, seen his older brother catch his first herring and devour it, standing on a rock, while his parents circled around raising a proud cackle. And all the morning the whole family had walked about on the big plateau midway down the opposite cliff taunting him with his cowardice.

Word meanings

• Herring- a soft-finned sea fish
• Devour- eat quickly
• Cackle- laugh in a loud, harsh way

Now it had been a whole being alone on his ledge. He tried to get a notice from his parents but they were busy in teaching his siblings how to master the art of flying and dive for food. His parents celebrated the proud moment when his older sibling caught his first fish. He was being taunted by his parents for his cowardice.

The sun was now ascending the sky, blazing on his ledge that faced the south. He felt the heat because he had not eaten since the previous nightfall. He stepped slowly out to the brink of the ledge, and standing on one leg with the other leg hidden under his wing, he closed one eye, then the other, and pretended to be falling asleep. Still they took no notice of him. He saw his two brothers and his sister lying on the plateau dozing with their heads sunk into their necks. His father was preening the feathers on his white back. Only his mother was looking at him. She was standing on a little high hump on the plateau, her white breast thrust forward. Now and again, she tore at a piece of fish that lay at her feet and then scrapped each side of her beak on the rock. The sight of the food maddened him. How he loved to tear food that way, scrapping his beak now and again to whet it.

Word meanings

• Ascending the sky- the act of rising up through the air
• Preening-to tidy and clean its feathers
• Hump- a rounded raised mass of earth or land

Now the sun has risen up in the sky and he was feeling intense heat as he was hungry since the night before. He slowly moved toward the brink of the ledge and tried to pretend that he is sleeping by close his eyes but couldn’t grab the attention of his parents.

His siblings were sleeping while his father was cleaning his feathers with his beak. However, his mother kept watching him while standing on another plateau when she was about to tear the fish and eat it. The young seagull became mad on that sight as he was too hungry.  He loved to tear the fish   in that manner by scrapping his beak.

“Ga, ga, ga,” he cried begging her to bring him some food. “Gaw-col-ah,” she screamed back derisively. But he kept calling plaintively, and after a minute or so he uttered a joyful scream. His mother had picked up a piece of the fish and was flying across to him with it. He leaned out eagerly, tapping the rock with his feet, trying to get nearer to her as she flew across. But when she was just opposite to him, she halted, her wings motionless, the piece of fish in her beak almost within reach of his beak. He waited a moment in surprise, wondering why she did not come nearer, and then, maddened by hunger, he dived at the fish.

Word meanings

• Derisively- in a manner expressing contempt or ridicule.
• Plaintively- sad
• Uttered- make a sound with one’s voice
• Halted- stopped

He made a loud noise, begging for food in hunger while his mother screamed condemning him. But soon his cries got converted into joyful scream as his mother was flying towards him with the piece of fish. He got very excited as she approached nearer and leaned at the brink. But suddenly she stopped being nearer to him. The young seagull got surprised noticing that his mother has stopped, not moving toward him with his food in her beak which appeared to be very close to him. Being mad due to hunger, he forgot that he was not able to fly and dived to get the fish.

With a loud scream he fell outwards and downwards into space. Then a monstrous terror seized him and his heart stood still. He could hear nothing. But it only lasted a minute. The next moment he felt his wings spread outwards. The wind rushed against his breast feathers, then under his stomach, and against his wings. He could feel the tips of his wings cutting through the air. He was not falling headlong now. He was soaring gradually downwards and outwards. He was no longer afraid. He just felt a bit dizzy. Then he flapped his wings once and he soared upwards. “Ga, ga, ga, Ga, ga, ga, Gaw-col-ah,” his mother swooped past him, her wings making a loud noise. He answered her with another scream. Then his father flew over him screaming. He saw his two brothers and his sister flying around him curveting and banking and soaring and diving.

Word meanings

• Monstrous- horrible
• Seized- grab
• Soaring- flying or rising high in the air
• Swooped- (especially of a bird) move rapidly downwards through the air
• Curvetting- perform a series of jumps on the hind legs

After taking a dive soon he realized that he is floating in a vast space. That moment was grabbed with a horrible experience and his heart stood still. However, in the next moment he felt that his wings spread outwards cutting through the winds. He was no more falling but flying high and low up and down in the air

He was not scared now. He felt a bit nervous but his mother joined to encourage him. She was making loud noise. He flapped his wings and soared upward and answered her with his scream. Soon rest of the family accompanied him. They celebrated his victory by screaming, soaring, diving and jumping around him in excitement.

Then he completely forgot that he had not always been able to fly, and commended himself to dive and soar and curve, shrieking shrilly. He was near the sea now, flying straight over it, facing straight out over the ocean. He saw a vast green sea beneath him, with little ridges moving over it and he turned his beak sideways and cawed amusedly.

Word meanings

• Shrieking- making a high-pitched piercing cry or sound
• Shrilly- loudly and forcefully
• Ridges- a long, narrow hilltop, mountain range

As he overcame his fear, he completely forgot how he used to be scared of flying.

He was diving downward and soaring up in the sky making loud piercing sound. As went straight upward in the sky, he could see vast green sea beneath him with narrow hilltops over it. He took a turn and made cawing sounds in enjoyment.

His parents and his brothers and sister had landed on this green flooring ahead of him. They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly. He dropped his legs to stand on the green sea. His legs sank into it. He screamed with fright and attempted to rise again flapping his wings. But he was tired and weak with hunger and he could not rise, exhausted by the strange exercise. His feet sank into the green sea, and then his belly touched it and he sank no farther. He was floating on it, and around him his family was screaming, praising him and their beaks were offering him scraps of dog-fish. He had made his first flight.

Word meanings

• Beckoning- gesture

 He landed on the green sea 

Along with his family. They had proud  expression and were making loud piercing voice in excitement. First he got scared of floating on the sea and tried to escape but being weak and  tired of hunger, he calmed down and started floating on the sea. His family offered him food and celebrated their excitement. Finally, he conquered his fear and made his first flight.

Textbook Questions and Answers

Q1. Why was the young seagull afraid to fly? Do you think all young birds are afraid to make their first flight, or are some birds more timid than others? Do you think a human baby also finds it a challenge to take its first steps?

Ans. The young seagull was afraid to fly because he believed that his wings would not support him.

Surely some birds hesitate taking their first flight and even human babies hesitate taking their first step as every body does have some fear or hesitation, more or less, doing anything for the first time.

Q2. “The sight of the food maddened him.” What does this suggest? What compelled the young seagull to finally fly?

A. The young seagull was starving for a night before. Thus on the sight of his mother flying towards him with the fish, he got overwhelmed with excitement and tried to grab the food any how as soon as possible.  It suggests that a person makes attempts in his dire need of anything without thinking of the risks involved as the young seagull does by diving from the ledge. His hunger and strong wish to get food compelled him to fly at last.

Q3. “They were beckoning to him, calling shrilly.” Why did the seagull’s father and mother threaten him and cajole him to fly?

A. Unlike his younger siblings, the poor seagull could not gather enough courage to take his first flight. Thus, his parents taunted him for being a coward. They even threatened it to let it starve if he did not try. They thought hunger would make him fly looking for his food. They did all of this because they wanted him to fly

Extra questions

Q.  Why the young seagull dived from the ledge? What happened then?

Ans.  The young sea gull dived because he got maddened on the sight of his mother approaching fish, he was starving in hunger from a night before. Thus, on seeing food he got overwhelmed in excitement. But his mother stopped midway, in the haste of getting food he forgot his fear and dived from the ledge. Suddenly, he realized that he was in the air. he fell outwards and downwards with a scream. His monstrous terror seized him and his heart stood still. Soon his wings spread outwards and he could feel the tips of his wings cutting through the air.

Q. Why couldn’t the seagull fly when his belly touched the green sea and what was the outcome?

Ans. The seagull got very scared when his belly touched the green sea. He thought that he would sink. He tried to fly but couldn’t succeed as he was too exhausted and weak due to hunger. So he sat on the water but to his surprise he didn’t sank and started floating. In  this way he conquered his second fear of the sea water.

Q. Do you think a big role was played by the family of the seagull to train him in the art of flying? Why?

Ans. Yes, a vital role was played by the family to make him fly including punishing him and leaving alone to starve was to force him to make attempts.

Earlier his parents scolded and threatened him but all in vain. Finally, they took their last trick by leaving him alone to starve in hunger. After a whole day his mother tempted him for food. Being very hungry he got overjoyed and dived from the ledge forgetting that he couldn’t fly. When he realized that he was in the air. He made attempts to fly as his wings spread outwards cutting through the air while his family kept encouraging him. At last, when he overcame his fear they celebrated his victory by dancing and making loud piercing voice.

 Thus, due to the efforts of his family members he made his first flight.

Q. Do you think hunger was a good motivation for the young seagull in his first flight?

Ans. Yes hunger was a good motivation indeed as being tempted for food since he was too hungry, he forgot his fear and dived from the ledge and when his wings spread outwards cutting through the air automatically, he realized his potential of flying and made his first attempt to fly. If he hadn’t been hungry, he would not have dived and realized his potential. Thus, to get him known about his inborn ability hunger played a big role.

Q. Overcoming fear is the first step to success. How does this saying stand true in context of the story ‘His First Flight”?

Ans. The story illustrates this fact very perfectly. The young seagull was too afraid to fly. He didn’t want to make any attempt even. He was afraid that his wings would not support him. However, his younger siblings had already flew away. But finally, when he dived being hungry, forgetting his fears and made attempts, he got to know his innate abilities, overcame his fear and successfully made his first flight. Earlier he was scared of flying but when he overcame his fear accidently, he made his first flight. Thus, to become successful one needs to overcome his fear first and take initiative to face the challenges and risks involved. As one can only becomes efficient in his task by making efforts without being scared as the seagull does when he fluttered his wings went upward and downwards in the air he gained  confident soon and made his first flight.

The Black Aeroplane

Introduction

The lesson “Black Aeroplane” by Frederick Forsyth reflects on how one’s judgement gets distorted due to fantasizing and how it creates problems. In this chapter, the narrator is a pilot who is so eager to meet his family and have a good breakfast that he takes the wrong decision of facing the storm instead of doing the right thing. Miraculously, he somehow manages to escape with the help of a mysterious aeroplane.

 About the Author

Frederick Forsryth born on 25^th August 1938. He is a prominent British English novelist and journalist. He is well known for his thrillers like the Afghan, The fourth protocol, The dogs of war etc. He also served as a pilot of fighter jet plane. In this little account he has shared one of the incident of his life that is beyond imagination.

Summary

The black Aeroplane is a story about a pilot who was very happy and excited to meet his family and have breakfast with them. He was flying  the plane from Paris to London alone without any other pilot and enjoying the self satisfying moment. When  he crossed Paris, he got scared of the big black stormy clouds approaching towards him. But he didn’t want to sacrifice his strong wish to enjoy  the delicious breakfast with his family by any means so decided to take risk and cross that hurdle by going through it. As soon as he entered the clouds, all his instruments stopped working and he lost his connection with the control panel. He got to know that fuel was also not enough for that journey as it could finish at any moment. He was quite helpless but soon he saw a black Aeroplane coming after his Aeroplane . To his astonishment, pilot’s face was quite visible in the dark. It came ahead of his plane and showed him direction through the dark clouds ️ and got disappeared. After landing safely when he went to the control panel asked about the black Aeroplane, he got very surprised as the lady at the control panel answered that only his Aeroplane was visible in the sky. There was no other plane flying in the sky.

Theme

• Miracle - the story illustrates how tha narrator took a great risk just to meet his family and have that English breakfast and got in to a great trouble. However, miraculously he landed safely at last.
• Mystery – it is still a mystery that who was the pilot of the black aeroplane? How it was visible among the dark clouds without headlight? Why it was not visible on the radar?

Where had it gone after the narrator landed?

These are some questions with which the narrator left pondering upon.

• Strong inclination and lack of judgement may lead us to trouble as the narrator was likely to loose his life unless helped by the mysterious aeroplane.

Explanation

THE moon was coming up in the east, behind me, and stars were shining in the clear sky above me. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I was happy to be alone high up above the sleeping countryside. I was flying my old Dakota aeroplane over France back to England. I was dreaming of my holiday and looking forward to being with my family. I looked at my watch: one thirty in the morning.

The narrator has explained the beauty of the night time with clear sky and twinkling stars.  He  was happy  flying his old Dakota back to London , his hometown  from Paris, alone high above the countryside which was supposed to be sleeping as it was night-time. He was excited and dreaming of his leisure time with his family. He had a great desire to meet his family  as soon as possible so he looked at his watch it was 1.30 in the morning .

‘I should call Paris Control soon,’ I thought. As I looked down past the nose of the aeroplane, I saw the lights of a big city in front of me. I switched on the radio and said, “Paris Control, Dakota DS 088 here. Can you hear me? I’m on my way to England. Over.” The voice from the radio answered me immediately: “DS 088, I can hear you. You ought to turn twelve degrees west now, DS 088. Over.”

While approaching towards Paris as he could see the light flashing at him he thought he should call the Paris Control for their instructions. When he informed them they provided him with the guidelines regarding his further journey .

I checked the map and the compass, switched over to my second and last fuel tank, and turned the Dakota twelve degrees west towards England. ‘I’ll be in time for breakfast,’ I thought. A good big English breakfast! Everything was going well — it was an easy flight.

Word meanings

• Compass- instrument for telling direction

He checked the map and compass after receiving the instructions. He put second and last fuel tank into operation and took a turn towards England .Meanwhile he was dreaming of having a delicious English breakfast. He was happy and calm as it was easy to fly in the clear sky and everything was going according to the plan.

Paris was about 150 kilometres behind me when I saw the clouds. Storm clouds. They were huge. They looked like black mountains standing in front of me across the sky. I knew I could not fly up and over them, and I did not have enough fuel to fly around them to the north or south. “I ought to go back to Paris,” I thought, but I wanted to get home. I wanted that breakfast. ‘I’ll take the risk,’ I thought, and flew that old Dakota straight into the storm.

Now he had left Paris and moved ahead 150 kms. Suddenly he noticed big storm clouds  looking like black mountains standing in front of him across the sky. He thought for a while whether he should return Paris or carry on his journey. Finally, he resolved to take risk as he could not give up his dream of having delicious English breakfast and   headed  his Dakota straight into the storm.

Inside the clouds, everything was suddenly black. It was impossible to see anything outside the aeroplane. The old aeroplane jumped and twisted in the air. I looked at the compass. I couldn’t believe my eyes: the compass was turning round and round and round. It was dead. It would not work! The other instruments were suddenly dead, too.

Inside the clouds he could not see anything as it was too dark. Thus, he started losing his control. To his astonishment the compass was dead along with other instruments.

I tried the radio. “Paris Control? Paris Control? Can you hear me?” There was no answer. The radio was dead too. I had no radio, no compass, and I could not see where I was. I was lost in the storm. Then, in the black clouds quite near me, I saw another aeroplane. It had no lights on its wings, but I could see it flying next to me through the storm. I could see the pilot’s face — turned towards me. I was very glad to see another person. He lifted one hand and waved. “Follow me,” he was saying. “Follow me.” ‘He knows that I am lost,’ I thought. ‘He’s trying to help me.’

He tried hard to contact Paris Control but couldn’t connect. He was feeling quite helpless with no connection and dead instruments in the midst of deadly storm. Suddenly he got happy to see that another aeroplane  was flying along with him . It’s pilot waved his hand and instructed to follow him. It seemed he knew that the narrator was lost and thus trying to help him.

He turned his aeroplane slowly to the north, in front of my Dakota, so that it would be easier for me to follow him. I was very happy to go behind the strange aeroplane like an obedient child. After half an hour the strange black aeroplane was still there in front of me in the clouds. Now there was only enough fuel in the old Dakota’s last tank to fly for five or ten minutes more. I was starting to feel frightened again. But then he started to go down and I followed through the storm. Suddenly I came out of the clouds and saw two long straight lines of lights in front of me. It was a runway! An airport! I was safe! I turned to look for my friend in the black aeroplane, but the sky was empty. There was nothing there. The black aeroplane was gone. I could not see it anywhere.

The  other pilot turned his aeroplane towards north in front of his Dakota to guide him through the dark clouds.  Due to this inconceivable help, the narrator was very happy and followed the  instructions like an obedient child. For half an hour, he was following the black aeroplane which was visible among the dark clouds ️ strangely. But suddenly, he was again in panic as the fuel  was available for only ten minutes more. However,  he kept following the black aeroplane which was now moving down . Suddenly he could see the lights emitting from the runway and got relieved  that he was safe now. As soon as, he turned to see  the black aeroplane, he found that black aeroplane  has  got disappeared.

I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota near the control tower. I went and asked a woman in the control centre where I was and who the other pilot was. I wanted to say ‘Thank you’. She looked at me very strangely, and then laughed. “Another aeroplane? Up there in this storm? No other aeroplanes were flying tonight. Yours was the only one I could see on the radar.” So who helped me to arrive there safely without a compass or a radio, and without any more fuel in my tanks? Who was the pilot on the strange black aeroplane, flying in the storm, without lights?

Word meanings

• Radar- an instrument used to detect direction, distance, and speed of aircraft, ships.
• Strangely- in a strange manner

After landing, the narrator wanted to express his gratitude to the pilot of the black aeroplane. So he went to the control tower and asked about location where he had been and who was the pilot of the black aeroplane. To his astonishment, the lady at the control tower answered that there was none of the aeroplane visible on the  radar except his. The narrator left pondering that who was the pilot of black aeroplane?  How he was able  to land safely without enough fuel and proper instruments?

There were several questions in his mind that were supposed to be unanswered as none had seen that strange aeroplane except him.

 

Questions Answers

Q1. “I’ll take the risk.” What is the risk? Why does the narrator take it?

Ans. The “risk” was to move to the destination through the storm. The pilot was desperately wanted to  meet his family and have that English breakfast. Thus, he didn’t move back to Paris and risked his life by heading into the storm.

Q2. Describe the narrator’s experience as he flew the aeroplane into the storm.

Ans. The narrator got horrified as it was too dark inside and he was not able to control the plane. Soon he got to know that his compass and other instruments had stopped working. He felt that he was in the midst of nowhere.  Suddenly an unknown plane was visible moving along with his aeroplane and the pilot was keen to help him. The narrator was worried as there was very less fuel left but at last, he landed safe following the black aeroplane ✈.

Q3. Why does the narrator say, “I landed and was not sorry to walk away from the old Dakota…”?

Ans. The narrator said so because he had had a very horrible experience in the plane when his compass and radar had stopped functioning in the midst of the storm. Thus, he felt relieved When

he left that plane. Moreover, he was curious about the pilot of the black aeroplane who helped him in his safe landing and wanted to tell him thanks.

Q4. What made the woman in the control centre look at the narrator strangely?

Ans. The woman in the control centre looked at the narrator strangely when he asked about the other pilot that helped him escape the storm. As she had not seen any other plane on the radar.

Q5. Who do you think helped the narrator to reach safely? Discuss this among yourselves and give reasons for your answer.

Ans. It was the pilot’s own conscience which helped him out of the storm. There was no other plane out on that stormy night. So, probably, he was hallucinating. It was his own capability as a pilot which led him out of that black cloud.

 

Grammar Exercise

Now, try to guess the meanings of the word ‘black’ in the sentences given below. Check the meanings in the dictionary and find out whether you have guessed right.
1. Go and have a bath; your hands and face are absolutely black. ________
2. The taxi-driver gave Ratan a black look as he crossed the road when the traffic light was green. ___________
3. The bombardment of Hiroshima is one of the blackest crimes against humanity. __________
4. Very few people enjoy Harold Pinter’s black comedy. ____________
5. Sometimes shopkeepers store essential goods to create false scarcity and then sell these in black. ___________
6. Villagers had beaten the criminal black and blue. _______________

Answers-

1. Go and have a bath; your hands and face are absolutely black.

Here, ‘black’ refers to the dirty hands with dust.

2. The taxi-driver gave Ratan a black look as he crossed the road when the traffic light was green.

Here, ‘black’ refers to an furious look.

3. The bombardment of Hiroshima is one of the blackest crimes against humanity.

Here, ‘blackest’ refers to the most unfortunate and inhumane against humanity.

4. Very few people enjoy Harold Pinter’s black comedy

Here, ‘black’ refers to dark and gloomy comedy.

5. Sometimes shopkeepers store essential goods to create false scarcity and then sell these in black.

Here, ‘black’ refers to unethical way of selling the goods at high price.

6. Villagers had beaten the criminal black and blue.

Here, ‘black’ means excessive beatin