Agents to quiz Bush 'visit' pilot

Maurice Kirk says he wanted to leave a thank you note at the ranch

The wife of a pilot held after landing his plane near US President George Bush's ranch says her husband is sure he did not go into restricted airspace.

Kirstie Kirk, of St Donats, Vale of Glamorgan, said she hoped US officials realised her "eccentric" husband wanted to leave a thank you note at the ranch.

Maurice Kirk was held in a psychiatric unit after sheriffs detained him minutes after he landed in a field.

The 62-year-old is expected to be questioned by US special services.

He has been in custody since last Friday following his unannounced landing in a McLennan County farmer's field some six miles from the president's Crawford ranch.

He was first accused of being drunk because his arthritis meant he could not walk a straight line.

He's somewhat eccentric and I don't know what the Americans would make of him Kirstie Kirk, pilot's wife

Then he was taken away for psychiatric assessment.

Mr Kirk, who calls himself the "Flying Vet", although he was struck off six years ago, is engaged in a solo round-the-world flight challenge.

In February he had to ditch his 65-year-old aircraft Liberty Girl in the Atlantic ocean off the Dominican Republic, when he was rescued by US coastguards.

Mrs Kirk said her husband wanted to thank Mr Bush for his rescue from the shark-inhabited waters and said he was adamant he did not stray into the prohibited zone around the ranch.

She said: "He just loves flying. He would have been flying on south [to South America] had he not lost the aircraft.

Kirstie Kirk says she hopes officials understand her 'eccentric' husband

"He's somewhat eccentric and I don't know what the Americans would make of him. I don't know they would understand our sense of humour and slightly different way of doing things.

"The fact that he is suspected of being a threat to the president, when he was quite safely outside the prohibition zone, is quite worrying.

"He told me he was going to leave a thank you note on the gate, which I do believe. I don't think even Maurice would think he could land on the president's lawn, not without repercussions.

"It's quite typical he'd do something that would be a gesture."

"He is a very good pilot for that sort of aircraft. He is a purist's pilot. An aviator.

"The sort of flying that Maurice does is landing in fields and little grass airstrips. He uses a plane the way some people use a sports car, to get to things. He just loves flying."

Mrs Kirk, 48, said the couple flew around Ireland in the Liberty Girl for their honeymoon 10 years ago.