First Flight – Chapter 3: Two Stories About Flying

About the Author: Liam O'Flaherty was an Irish novelist and short-story writer.

Summary: The story is about a young seagull who was afraid to fly. His parents, brothers, and sister had already learned to fly, but he could not gather enough courage. He was afraid that his wings would not support him. His parents scolded him, threatened him, and even left him alone on the ledge to force him to fly. He was very hungry and saw his family eating a fish. Unable to resist his hunger, he plunged towards the sea. As he fell, his wings spread out, and he began to fly. He realized that flying was not difficult. His family rejoiced, and he successfully completed his first flight.

Answer: The young seagull was afraid to fly because he thought that his wings would not support him. He was scared of falling down into the vast sea below.

Answer: His parents scolded him, threatened to starve him, and even left him alone on the ledge. They tried to tempt him by eating fish in front of him to make him overcome his fear.

Answer: Driven by extreme hunger, the young seagull dived towards the fish his mother was holding. He fell from the ledge, and as he fell, his wings spread out, and he began to fly. He realized that flying was not difficult at all.

Answer: The young seagull felt miserable because he was hungry and alone. He could not fly like his siblings, and his parents had left him without food. He was afraid to fly and felt trapped on the ledge.

Answer: The story conveys that fear is a natural part of life, but one must overcome it to progress. It teaches that taking the first step is the hardest, but once we overcome our fears, we realize that the task was not as difficult as we imagined. It also highlights the importance of family support and encouragement.

About the Author: Frederick Forsyth is a British author and political commentator, known for his thriller novels.

Summary: The story is about a pilot who was flying his old Dakota aeroplane back to England. He was excited to have a good breakfast with his family. Suddenly, he saw huge storm clouds ahead. He did not have enough fuel to go around them and decided to fly straight into them. Soon, everything went black. His compass and radio stopped working. Then, he saw another aeroplane – a black aeroplane – with no lights on its wings. The pilot of the black aeroplane signalled him to follow. He followed the mysterious pilot through the storm and safely landed at a runway. When he asked the control room about the black aeroplane, they said no other plane was flying that night. The story ends with a mystery – who was the pilot of the black aeroplane?

Answer: When the pilot flew into the storm clouds, everything suddenly became black. His compass stopped working, and his radio also failed. He could not see anything outside.

Answer: The pilot of the black aeroplane signalled the narrator to follow him. He guided the narrator through the storm and helped him land safely at the nearest airport.

Answer: The identity of the pilot of the black aeroplane remains a mystery. When the narrator asked the control room about the black aeroplane, they said that no other aeroplane was flying in the storm that night. The mystery is that the narrator was helped by an unknown, possibly supernatural, pilot.

Answer: The pilot was afraid because he did not have enough fuel to fly around the storm. His Dakota aeroplane was old, and he was worried about surviving the storm. The huge black clouds looked dangerous, and he knew flying into them could be fatal.

Answer: The pilot could not follow the compass and the radio because both stopped working after he entered the storm clouds. The compass was spinning round and round, and the radio was dead. He was completely lost.

Answer: The pilot felt very relieved and grateful when he landed safely. He wanted to thank the pilot of the black aeroplane who had guided him through the storm. However, he was also puzzled and shocked when he learned that no other aeroplane was flying that night.

Answer: The black aeroplane disappeared after guiding the narrator to safety. It is possible that it was a figment of the narrator's imagination, a supernatural phenomenon, or an angelic guide. The story leaves this mysterious question unanswered, allowing readers to draw their own conclusions.

Ledge: a narrow shelf or flat surface, especially on a cliff or mountain
Plunged: fell or dived suddenly
Terrified: extremely scared
Devour: to eat quickly and hungrily
Monstrous: very large and frightening
Derisively: in a mocking or ridiculing manner
Desperately: in a way that shows despair or urgent need
Strait: a narrow passage of water connecting two seas
Anxiously: in a worried manner
Dakota: a type of aeroplane
Compass: an instrument used for navigation showing directions
Beckoning: making a gesture to call someone to come
Frantically: in a hurried, panicked way
Unmanned: without any person on board

Answer:
(i) 'He' refers to the young seagull.
(ii) He felt that his wings would not support him because he was very young and had not yet learned to fly. He was afraid of falling.
(iii) The vast expanse of sea was stretched down beneath him.

Answer:
(i) The speaker is the pilot of the old Dakota aeroplane.
(ii) The radio was dead, and the compass was spinning round and round; both had stopped working.
(iii) The speaker felt lost, scared, and helpless as he could not navigate through the storm.

Answer: The central idea of the story "His First Flight" is that fear is a major obstacle in life, but it can be overcome with courage and determination. The young seagull was afraid to fly, but when hunger overtook his fear, he took the plunge and discovered that flying was easy. The story teaches us that taking the first step is the most difficult, but once we do it, success follows. It also shows the importance of family support and encouragement.

Answer: The story is considered a mystery because the identity of the pilot of the black aeroplane is never revealed. When the narrator asks the control room about the black aeroplane that guided him to safety, they inform him that no other aeroplane was flying in the storm that night. The narrator is left puzzled about who helped him. The story ends with an open-ended question, leaving the reader to wonder whether the black aeroplane was real, a hallucination, or a supernatural phenomenon.

Answer: Both stories are about flying and overcoming challenges. "His First Flight" is about a young seagull who overcomes his fear of flying with the help of his family's encouragement and his own hunger. It is a realistic story about a bird's first flight. "Black Aeroplane" is about a human pilot who faces a storm while flying and is mysteriously saved by an unknown pilot in a black aeroplane. It is a suspenseful and mysterious story. While the first story focuses on conquering fear, the second focuses on unexpected help in a crisis. Both ultimately convey that help and courage can come from unexpected places.