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STAGE

3

The story

A small group of terrorists hijack a plane with a

number of passengers on board. The hijackers force

the pilot to land at a small airport in the country they

are flying over. They announce they are the People’s

Liberation Army, and threaten to hold the passengers

hostage until certain demands are met. They ask the

Government of the country to release two of their

‘brothers’, who were convicted of terrorist offences

and are in prison not far away. The hijackers know that

the Prime Minister is a woman, but at first they are not

aware that her husband, Carl, is on the plane. His

police bodyguard, Harald, makes a brave attempt to

protect Carl, by pretending that Carl is a prisoner being

escorted to another prison. Meanwhile, the Prime

Minister, Helen Sandberg, meets police and military

experts at the airport to discuss the situation. Sheasks the terrorists to set the hostages free, but the

hijackers’ reply is to shoot an American passenger in

cold blood. They threaten to kill another passenger

every half-hour until their fellow-terrorists are

released. Helen orders the two convicted terrorists to

be brought from prison to the airport. On the plane,

Harald tries to overpower two of the hijackers, but

fails. The terrorists identify Carl as the Prime Minister’s

husband, and are delighted, thinking she will agree to

their demands to save her husband. In spite of

pressure from the American and British Ambassadors,

Helen and Colonel Carter, head of the commando unit,

work out their own rescue plan. The hijackers agree

that if one of the released prisoners is sent onto the

plane, a hundred passengers will be freed. Then the

plane will be refuelled, the other prisoner will reach

the plane, and the other passengers will be set free.

Only the pilot and Carl will be kept on the plane, to be

freed later. In fact, however, the commandos attack

the plane, all the terrorists are shot or arrested, and

the passengers, including Carl and Harald, are

released safe and sound.

Background to the story

Skyjack! is set in an imaginary country, whose Prime

Minister is a woman. She does not want to allow

Skyjack!Tim Vicary

Introduction 

Britain or the USA to set up military bases there, and

she is also determined to solve the problem of the

hijacking without the help of the British or American

Ambassadors and their military forces.

Terrorism occurs when individuals or groups of

people use terror or violent action to draw attention to

their cause, and may involve hijacking, bomb attacks,

assassination of public figures, etc. Most societies

consider that a terrorist act is one of the very worst

crimes, and the punishment is usually a lengthy prison

sentence, or in some countries, the death penalty. Inthe country in this story, the two ‘brother’ terrorists

had tried to put a bomb on a plane, and had been sent

to prison for thirty years.

Difficult decisions need to be taken when a hijack

takes place. The authorities are under intense

pressure to act fast, and act effectively. They must try

to get all the hostages released unharmed, but also

arrest and punish the hijackers.

Discussion points

If you strongly believed in something, or wanted to

change something in society, would you

a discuss it with friends and other people, and try

to persuade them?

b write letters to newspapers?

c write to the Government or Members of

Parliament?

d go on protest marches or demonstrations?

e put posters on walls?

f go on strike?

g take violent action?

Is there any other action you could take?

Which of these methods do you think are mosteffective?

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STAGE

3Skyjack!

 Pre-reading activity

Match the words with the pictures 

To the teacher 

Aim: To familiarize students with the setting and to

predict the plot

Time: 30 minutes

Organization: Give one copy of the worksheet to

each student or each pair or group of students. Ask

the students to match the picture with the correct

caption. Now ask students to discuss what is

happening in the pictures and how the people

involved are probably feeling. Ask students to put the

pictures in a suitable order for telling a story. Groups

should exchange their opinions and story ideas. (Do

not tell any group that they are right or wrong about

the actual plot of Skyjack!)

Key: 1e, 2g, 3a, 4d, 5f, 6c, 7b.

1 4 6

2

3

5 7

a Helen was talking to the Airport Police on the telephone.

 b The Colonel put some grenades in the coat pocket.

c ‘Free! You are free now, brother!’

d Harald tore the passport into pieces. Then he ate them!

e ‘Welcome aboard, sir.’f  Carl could see the bearded hijacker from the light of the

instruments.

g The air hostess had a machine gun in her hand.

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STAGE

3

1 The airline is responsible for passengers’

safety. It is the airline’s fault if a hijack

happens.

2 Governments should never give terrorists

what they want.

3 Terrorists are freedom-fighters, who have to

hijack planes and take other violent action,

because it is the only way to get publicity

for their cause.

4 The crew of the plane should carry guns

and be able to fight off any hijackers.

5 It is not important if some passengers die,

as long as the terrorists are caught andpunished.

6 Passengers should not just accept the

hijackers’ orders; they should try to fight

the terrorists.

7 Security in airports should be much

stricter, to prevent hijacking.

8 Police can promise the hijackers anything,

in order to get the passengers freed. Then

the promises can be broken.

9 People who travel by air two or three

times a year should expect to be hijacked

sometime in their lives.

10 Hijackers should be given the death

penalty.

Skyjack!While reading activity

Pyramid discussion 

To the teacher 

Where: At the end of Chapter 9, or 10, or 11

Aim: To consider a variety of opinions on the theme

of hijacking

Time: 50–60 minutes

Organization: Give each student a copy of the list of

statements below, and ask them individually (1) todecide which ones they agree with and to rank them

in order according to how strongly they feel. Then put

students in pairs (2) to repeat the task and, after

discussion, produce an order based on compromise.

Then put students in fours (4) to repeat the activity.

Students repeat the activity in groups of eight (8) and

so on until finally, the class can decide the preferred

order together.

This activity gives students the opportunity torepeat their arguments, listen to new views, and try

to persuade or dissuade, as the pyramid grows.

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

4 4 4 4

8 8

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STAGE

3

1 ‘We’ve been away for along time.’

2 ‘There is a change of plan.’

3 ‘I’ll look at it while youmake me a cup of coffee.’

4 ‘She will do what we say.’

5 ‘This is going to be verydifficult, isn’t it?’

6 ‘I won’t let you die forme, you know.’

7 ‘I can’t bring them here.’

8 ‘You’re a murderer!’

9 ‘They’ll just take thatgoddam plane apart.’

10 ‘I don’t think youunderstand what you’redoing.’

11 ‘We will set them freelater.’

12 ‘I told you, this is aserious mistake.’

13 ‘It was an expensive

raincoat.’

14 ‘Is it him? Yes, it is!’

15 ‘You must not do that.’

16 ‘I think we’re in the newsagain.’

Skyjack! After reading activity

Who said what, to whom, where and what about? 

To the teacher 

Aim: To focus students’ attention back on thecharacters

Time: 15–20 minutes

Organization: Give each student or group ofstudents a copy of the chart below. Ask them to

identify who said these words, who to, where and

about what.

WHO? WHO TO? WHERE? WHAT ABOUT?