Indeed, they would hang around the area as if it was their own home, and track every move that the Russian military made. Only a scrawny weakling would be unable to get rid of an annoying fly – it seemed to have already covered us in bites, and now it was time to swat it, or at least drive it away.
The Russian pilots were especially fond of a maneuver that would hinder the Americans’ aerial photography. As soon as an American spy plane opened the hatch on its belly in order to point its camera at the ground, Lieutenant Shilin would immediately dash toward the foreign plane, stick close to it underneath, and block the camera’s view with his fighter.
This was an extremely difficult and complex maneuver, one that required exceptional skill and precision. A pilot had to get as close as possi
