Pilots earn up to $25,000 per flight, crossing a poorly patrolled border with no radar coverage.

The pilot, who was apparently flying without a co-pilot, requested to be advised on other air traffic, but was told that he was below their radar coverage.

We were at a very low altitude, but because we had returned to radar coverage he hoped against hope that maybe we had regained use of one of our engines.

This did not apply to the air-defence radar coverage, which guarantees 24/7 peacetime operational capacity.

All aircraft within the carrier's radar coverage (typically several hundred miles) are tracked and monitored.