От	Гришa
К	All
Дата	06.04.2001 22:19:56
Рубрики	Современность; ВВС;

Kitajskij pilot slavilsya kovbojskoj naturoj.

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`WASHINGTON--The American spy plane at the center of a U.S.-China diplomatic storm may have been
disabled after an aggressive Chinese fighter pilot flew too close beneath the Navy EP-3 and was sucked by
turbulent air currents against the belly of the larger aircraft, Defense Department officials said Thursday.
Piecing together the possible causes of the midair collision from what they acknowledge was limited
evidence, Pentagon officials speculated that the fighter pilot may have lost control after flying as close as 10 feet
to the American plane in an effort to intimidate its crew.
The collision probably smashed the Chinese F-8's cockpit and threw off debris that damaged the EP-3's
propellers, nose cone and flaps, officials said.
They acknowledged that their analysis was partly guesswork, based on the appearance of the damaged
aircraft in photos from China, on a brief radio conversation with the American pilot just after the collision, and
their knowledge of recent U.S. reconnaissance flights in the region.
U.S. officials have not had a conversation about the accident with the 24 U.S. crew members, who were
detained by the Chinese after their crippled plane landed on Hainan island in southern China shortly after the
incident Sunday morning.
The U.S. description of the events differs radically from the version offered by the Chinese, who say the
collision took place when the U.S. plane suddenly veered into their smaller aircraft.
The events that led to the collision have become a major international issue. The Chinese have demanded an
apology, and American officials have replied that none is warranted, although they have expressed regret over
the apparent death of the pilot of the F-8. U.S. officials insist that although the EP-3 was eavesdropping on
Chinese military operations, it was in international airspace and proceeding in full accord with international rules.
U.S. defense officials say they strongly believe that the U.S. plane was flying straight and level, as it
customarily does throughout its missions. They say the EP-3's last turn occurred a little less than 10 minutes
before the collision--a U-turn away from the Chinese coast and toward Okinawa, Japan, where its flight
originated.
U.S. officials and military pilots say the F-8's maneuvers were dangerous not only because of the proximity
of the EP-3, but also because it is difficult to maneuver a high-speed fighter jet while trying to shadow a much
slower propeller-driven aircraft such as the EP-3.
The F-8 pilot who was lost, Wang Wei, was well known by U.S. fliers to be especially aggressive in
encounters over recent months with American reconnaissance planes, defense officials said.
Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.) said Wang had a record of flying close alongside U.S. planes that the pilot
felt were intruding on Chinese airspace.
"It appears to me on this occasion he simply exceeded his grasp," said Lugar, a senior member of the Senate
Intelligence and Foreign Relations committees.
Another member of the Intelligence Committee, Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), described the Chinese flier as a
"cowboy" who regularly tried to create turbulence 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 with Associated Press.
U.S. officials said that Chinese fliers try to divert U.S. spy planes from their paths by flying in front of them
and pushing their tails side to side in a signal for the American crew to change course.
But when the U.S. planes remain on course, the Chinese switch to bolder tactics.
Often, the Chinese pilots hover beneath the U.S. planes, taking pictures with still and video cameras, then
blast forward at top speed to alarm the American fliers and jar their planes with the ensuing turbulence.
But officials and military pilots say these close-range maneuvers are especially risky near an EP-3 because
the plane is a notably "dirty" aircraft--that is, surrounded by turbulence that could contribute to a collision.
"The big plane can suck you right into it," said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney, a former
commander of Kadena Air Base on Okinawa. "You've got to be really careful."
Under international rules for such "intercept" encounters, military aircraft are supposed to stay at least 200
feet apart, McInerney noted.
The American EP-3 pilot, in his brief distress call, reported that the underside of the aircraft had been struck
and damaged.
The collision was probably no more than a glancing blow, defense officials said. Nonetheless, it disabled the
outer of two engines on the EP-3's left wing, damaged the inner propeller on the right wing and lopped off the
plane's nose cone. The collision also damaged the flaps, which are control surfaces on the trailing edges of the
wings that are used to generate more lift or to slow the airplane.
Chinese officials say Wang was able to eject from the F-8.
But the Pentagon said the damage to the underside of the EP-3 may mean that the cockpit of the Chinese jet
was crushed, making it impossible for Wang to eject and sending the plane into a spin.
The collision was nearly catastrophic to the U.S. plane as well, defense officials said. The damage to the
propellers probably caused intense vibration, and damage to the flaps would have caused the pilot to fear that he
could lose control of the craft, officials said.
The loss of the nose cone meant that the plane had lost its airspeed indicator, they said.
Landing safely was "a considerable piece of airmanship," Navy Rear Adm. Craig Quigley, the chief Pentagon
spokesman, said Thursday.
After landing on Hainan island, the American pilot radioed home that "we are being met by armed Chinese,"
an official said. The pilot did not give any further details of the collision.
Though Chinese fighters had become increasingly bold in recent months, U.S. officials said they never
considered adding fighter escorts to the reconnaissance missions. It could have escalated the confrontations, they
said, and would have been diplomatically questionable, since the two nations are not at war.
The U.S. reaction to the aggressive intercepts had been confined to diplomatic efforts, which had little effect,
officials said.
Current and former military pilots say there is no point in a reconnaissance plane trying any quick evasive
maneuvers, as suggested by the Chinese description of events Sunday, because there is no chance the plane
could elude the far faster fighter jet.
"The best you can do is be slow and deliberate, so they know what you're going to do and there's less risk of
accident," said one pilot, who asked not to be identified.
Pentagon officials said they believe that the Chinese may have begun interrogating the 24 crew members.
Yet they said that the 21 men and three women aren't under wartime rules that would require them to limit
disclosure to their name, rank and serial number.
They also wouldn't be subject to U.S. miliary discipline on their return for disclosing information under those
circumstances, one official said.

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От	Андю
К	Гришa (06.04.2001 22:19:56)
Дата	06.04.2001 22:27:36

А еще он был гомофобом, коммунистом и не знал, кто такая Ксена. Гы-гы. :))) (-)

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От	Андю
К	Андю (06.04.2001 22:27:36)
Дата	07.04.2001 03:09:22

Спасибо указавшим на "Зину". Буду знать. (+)

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Приветствую !

А то как-то попал впросак. Обругал "Пауэр Рейнджеров" перед каким-то амером, а тот, видать, их то ли сам смотрит, то ли с детьми. Так вот теперь думаю, может он на что другое подумал ? Там еще группа разноцветных даунов в пластмассовых шлёмах все время стойку a la "монастырь Шаолинь" принимает. Полный улёт и отстой. :)

Всего хорошего, Андрей.

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От	SerP-M
К	Андю (06.04.2001 22:27:36)
Дата	06.04.2001 22:48:25

Англоязычные не могут произносить...(+)

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... "кс" в начале слова - им это трудно по каким-то артикуляционным причинам. А если такие слова (чаще всего - идущие от древнегреческого) в язык все же входят, то произносится первая буква как "з". Таким образом, имеем "Зина" ("Ксина") и "зирокс" ("ксерокс").
С уважением,
Сергей М.

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От	kami
К	Андю (06.04.2001 22:27:36)
Дата	06.04.2001 22:29:59

Re: А еще...

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нe Kсeнa, a Зинa -- тожe воeнно-историчeскaя фигурa :)

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От	И. Кошкин
К	kami (06.04.2001 22:29:59)
Дата	06.04.2001 22:38:13

Я-я-я!!! Фигура там зашибись!

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Я вас приветствую! Хррр. Хрррр. Ххуррагх!

>нe Kсeнa, a Зинa -- тожe воeнно-историчeскaя фигурa :)

И ваще, она действует в древней Греции. Ее в начале чуть Геракл не ощасливил - такой чахлый патлатик с глазами спаниеля, обожравшегося Педигри. И ваще, древние греки ходили в штанах и дрались примущественно ногами. А фигура - оно да. Все же на ферме выросла, потом землекопом работала...

С уважением,
И. Кошкин

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От	Vadim
К	И. Кошкин (06.04.2001 22:38:13)
Дата	07.04.2001 05:26:47

Re: Я-я-я!!! Фигура...

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Привeтствую!

>Я вас приветствую! Хррр. Хрррр. Ххуррагх!

>>нe Kсeнa, a Зинa -- тожe воeнно-историчeскaя фигурa :)
>
>И ваще, она действует в древней Греции.

A снимaeтся всe ЭTО (дaжe зAмки и проч. спeциaльно понaстроили) в Новой Зeлaндии (тик кик тaм НAMНОГО дeшeвлe), дa и глaвнaя гeроиня - тожe мeстнaя, было с нeй интeрвью, онa плaкaлaсь, кaк eй, бeдной, приxодится с Kиви aкцeнтом бороться, чтобы, знaчит в Aмeрикe зa свою сошлa.

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От	Юрий Лямин
К	Vadim (07.04.2001 05:26:47)
Дата	07.04.2001 14:44:52

Так телекомпания тоже Новозеландская.

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А ее муж, то ли режиссер, то ли продюсер сериала.

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От	Vadim
К	Юрий Лямин (07.04.2001 14:44:52)
Дата	09.04.2001 11:24:19

Nifiga

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"Xena Comes to an End

(West Hollywood, CA., Oct. 16, 2000) The hit Xena: Warrior Princess, syndicated television's highest rated first-run action hour, will conclude its enormously successful six-year run at the end of the 2000-01 season. Studios USA Domestic Television President Steve Rosenberg and Rob Tapert, the series creator and executive producer, made the announcement today.

The series will wrap production on its full 22-episode sixth season order this spring and will air through summer 2001. "

...

"A Renaissance Pictures production (Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, Timecop, Hard Target, Army of Darkness, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Back 2 Back Action and the upcoming feature film, The Gift), Xena: Warrior Princess is executive produced by Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi and R.J. Stewart and is exclusively distributed domestically by Studios USA Domestic Television. The series airs on more than 200 stations reaching 99% of the U.S.

Studios USA (www.studiosusa.com), a division of USA Networks, Inc.'s (NASDAQ: USAI) Entertainment unit, responsible for some of the biggest drama, action, dramatic reality and talk hits on television, consists of first-run production and distribution and network development and production. "

http://www.studiosusa.com/xena/highlight/highlight_main.html

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От	Юрий Лямин
К	И. Кошкин (06.04.2001 22:38:13)
Дата	06.04.2001 23:10:59

И жила она с Гераклом немножко от Трои до н.э :-) (-)

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