- The Paperwing turns out to be a magical aircraft that looks like "a canoe with hawk-wings and a tail" (11.2). It looks about as safe as a paper airplane, but Mogget assures Sabriel that it's safe. In order to fly it, Sabriel needs to whistle to command the wind with magic.
- Amazingly, the Paperwing operates like the marvel of magic it is. Sabriel launches the Paperwing, which takes off over the flood, bound for the capital city of Belisaere.
- Mogget is beginning to annoy Sabriel with his cryptic, somewhat unhelpful comments; she asks him to stop calling her "Abhorsen."
- Suddenly they discover they're being pursued by Gore crows—a flock of undead skeletal birds. Sabriel summons more wind as the crows close in, but she isn't experienced enough and loses control, sending the plane off course until it falls from the sky.
- As the Paperwing plummets toward the ground, Mogget urges Sabriel to remove his collar and "remember the ring" (11.58).
- When Sabriel unfastens the collar, Mogget transforms into a Free Magic spirit, a powerful being without a true form. Mogget stops the plane from crashing, but just as it's about to land safely, it skids into a giant sinkhole in the ground, hundreds of feet deep. Flight attendants, prepare for disaster.