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By GEORGE GEDDA
.c The Associated Press
Another member of the Intelligence Committee, Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., described the Chinese flier as a ``cowboy'' who regularly tried to create a wake that would toss the U.S. planes around. ``This pilot ... even flew next to our pilots and showed them his e-mail address, to show you what kind of a hot-dog pilot he was,'' Roberts said in an interview.
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``The (Chinese) pilot involved is apparently the same pilot who's been observed by our reconnaissance aircraft in the past,'' he said. ``The flight we were flying is a regular flight, known to the Chinese, known to the Indians, the Pakistanis, everyone in the area. ... So there were very few surprises with this lumbering plane moving along.''
Nevertheless, Lugar added, in recent days Chinese fliers, ``and this particular pilot on several occasions,'' had challenged the surveillance flight. ``It is tragic for him and tragic for the Chinese and tragic for us, because it was only a miracle that our plane got down safely and the 24 Americans are still alive.''
Former Defense Secretary William Cohen said the United States had previously protested the practices of Chinese interceptor pilots. ``A very strong protest was lodged back in January (over) these fighter aircraft coming within a matter of feet of reconnaissance aircraft, thereby posing a danger to all concerned. That apparently is what happened here,'' Cohen said on CNN.
.c The Associated Press
Another member of the Intelligence Committee, Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., described the Chinese flier as a ``cowboy'' who regularly tried to create a wake that would toss the U.S. planes around. ``This pilot ... even flew next to our pilots and showed them his e-mail address, to show you what kind of a hot-dog pilot he was,'' Roberts said in an interview.
.
``The (Chinese) pilot involved is apparently the same pilot who's been observed by our reconnaissance aircraft in the past,'' he said. ``The flight we were flying is a regular flight, known to the Chinese, known to the Indians, the Pakistanis, everyone in the area. ... So there were very few surprises with this lumbering plane moving along.''
Nevertheless, Lugar added, in recent days Chinese fliers, ``and this particular pilot on several occasions,'' had challenged the surveillance flight. ``It is tragic for him and tragic for the Chinese and tragic for us, because it was only a miracle that our plane got down safely and the 24 Americans are still alive.''
Former Defense Secretary William Cohen said the United States had previously protested the practices of Chinese interceptor pilots. ``A very strong protest was lodged back in January (over) these fighter aircraft coming within a matter of feet of reconnaissance aircraft, thereby posing a danger to all concerned. That apparently is what happened here,'' Cohen said on CNN.
