Immediately after the meltdown, military pilots had flown over the reactor many times, dumping tonnes of sand, clay and other material to bury the molten mass. But radiationstill poured out of the reactor, and a new strategy was devised to seal the reactor in a concrete tomb. This plan demanded the skills of Anatoly and Gourgen. The twpo pilots were called on to thoroughly examine and measure the reactor. Anatoly and Gourgen knew they would have to plan their inspection flights carefully. If they didn't,they woukd be hovering in the "hot zone" a lot longer than they wanted. During a practice run,thry flew to within a few metres of the reactor. Using special optical equipment, they planned to study pth shattered hulk of the nuclear plant and make the measurements they would need.