Born to fly
Subtitle: the untold story of the downed American reconnaissance plane
By: Shane Osborn with Malcolm McConnell.
Contributors: McConnell, Malcolm.
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: Broadway Books
Published: 2001
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 262
Subjects: Osborn, Shane.; Aerial reconnaissance, American -- South China Sea.; Reconnaissance aircraft -- United States.; Reconnaissance aircraft -- Accidents.
Description: "On April 1, 2001, aircraft commander Shane Osborn was piloting an EP-3 ARIES II reconnaissance plane over the South China Sea when it was suddenly intercepted and harassed by two Chinese F-8 fighters. On earlier missions the Chinese had flown dangerously close to American aircraft in a nerve-racking game of chicken.

This time, however, one of the Chinese fighters went too far, colliding with Osborn's plane and being hacked in two by one of its props, in the process inflicting catastrophic damage to the EP-3. With almost certain disaster impending, Lieutenant Osborn, using the aviation skills of a superbly trained pilot and the strength and endurance of a natural athlete, managed to recover from a near-inverted dive and avoid either ditching the plane in the sea or having the crew bail out, both potentially fatal maneuvers. Instead, he and his crew were able to fly their crippled aircraft through harrowing circumstances to a safe emergency landing on the Chinese island of Hainan.

Chinese military forces immediately took the crew into detention.".

"Meanwhile, an international political crisis, the first of the new Bush administration, erupted between the United States and China as each superpower attempted to force blame on the other. Lieutenant Osborn, oblivious to the proceedings in the outside world, was spearated from the rest of his crew and isolated in an interrogation room where he was subjected to hour upon hour of aggressive and repetitive videotaped questioning.

Osborn, maintaining an iron will throughout, resisted the interrogators' demands that he accept responsibility for the collision and apologize. Finally the two governments were able to work out an agreement for the release of the crew after their being held for eleven days.".

"Born to Fly takes us right into the cockpit of the reconnaissance plane on that fateful day, in a white-knuckle tale of heroism and split-second decision making. It also weaves in fascinating stories of Lieutenant Osborn's insatiable desire to fly from early childhood and the Naval training that gave him the "right stuff" to handle the crisis in the air and on land.

A portrait of a genuine American hero, Born to Fly gives unprecedented insight into one of the most dramatic incidents of the post-Cold War world."--BOOK JACKET.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note: Chapter One; title: KADENA AIR BASE, OKINAWA; title: 1 April 2001, 0430 Hours; title: 1; title: Chapter Two; title: LUZOi STRAIT; title: 1 April 2001, 0800 Hours; title: 41; title: Chapter Three; title: SOUTH CHINA SEA; title: 1 April 2001, 0830 Hours; title: 77; title: Chapter Four; title: SOUTH CHINA SEA; title: 1 April 2001, 0940 Hours; title: 105; title: Chapter Five; title: LINGSHUI AIR BASE, HAINAN; title: 1 April 2001,1038 Hours; title: 133; title: Chapter Six; title: LINGSHUI AIR BASE; title: 3 Apil 2001, 0830 Hours; title: 167; title: Chapter Seven; title: HAIKOU, HAINAN; title: 4 April 2001, 0850 Hours; title: 193; title: Chapter Eight; title: HAIKOU, HAINAN; title: 8 April 2001, 0930 Hours; title: 223; title: Epilogue; title: WASHINGTON, D.C.; title: THE WHITE HOUSE; title: 18 May 2001 0840 Hours; title: 249; title: Afterword; title: 255; title: Glossary of Aviation Terms; title: 257.