Word: signallers
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Indeed it was. But Flight 007, in what must have been an interminable and terrifying descent for its travelers, seemed to die slowly. At 2:27 the crew tried, finally, to signal its distress. "Korean Air 007," began the voice. But only an unintelligible garble of sounds followed...
...Soviet interceptors signal the airliner to change course or to land, and if so, did the Korean crew ignore the signals? The Soviets, of course, insist that both answers are yes. But so far the tapes of their air-to-ground reports have not borne out the claim. Moreover, the KAL crew would have made its own radio report of such action, if it had been able...
...aviation custom, the interceptor is permitted to escort the intruder out of the airspace or order it to leave or land. This can be done either by radio in English, the language of the air, or with hand signals. If neither approach works, the interceptor flies in front and to the left of the trespasser and rocks its wings-or at night, the its lights- to signal "Follow me." The off-course plane copies the signal and reply "I will obey." At that point the fighter heads for an airport and flies low over the runway where the intruder...
...Soviets claimed that the fighter pilots lowered their landing gear and flashed landing lights to signal the jetliner to descend, but were ignored. The co-pilot later denied that any signals were given. In any event, Soviet commanders, fully aware that it was a commercial plane, gave the order to attack. One interceptor then fired two heat-seeking missiles. The second struck an engine on the 707 and blew a hole in the fuselage, killing two passengers and injuring 13. Crippled but still under power, the jet plunged from 35,000 ft. to 3,000 ft. before leveling...
...Later that day, the Soviets gave more ground. If they went ahead and held their press conference on Thursday, said a Soviet representative, and then took the Berezhkovs to the airport, perhaps the family might encounter some of the U.S. press there, as well. Burt took that as a signal that the Soviets were ready to compromise and on his own arranged a way to spend some time with Andrei...