airtraffic

Author Topic: Kai Tak - Old Hong Kong Airport  (Read 13156 times)

Offline tyton01

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Kai Tak - Old Hong Kong Airport
« on: May 14, 2007, 05:52:13 PM »

Hi was wondering if anyone on here flew into this airport as far as I know it had a dangerous right hand turn on finals into the airport. The airport has now closed of course in 1998. Would be nice to hear from anyone who actually experienced this.



Offline Greg01

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Re: Kai Tak - Old Hong Kong Airport
« Reply #1 on: May 14, 2007, 07:58:06 PM »
My one instructor used to fly into Kai Tak in B747s.

It's not dangerous by any means...or else it wouldn't have been an approved procedure.

Do a search on google or something, there are a couple of videos from the cockpit on this approach.

Greg

Offline Scrapper

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Re: Kai Tak - Old Hong Kong Airport
« Reply #2 on: May 14, 2007, 11:57:13 PM »
Hong Kong's IGS for runway 13 not dangerous... just different... it's just like any other ILS, you follow a glideslope down on a localizer... the only difference being that when you get to the bottom, you need to be visual with the runway, and perform a 47 degree turn and land visually (ie. where most ILS systems take you to the runway, this one takes you to a hill... and then you have to turn right into the runway if you're visual, or execute a missed approach if you're not... the reason for this of course was that they couldn't have a localizer/glideslope approach directly into the runway on a 130ish heading (the runway heading) because NW of the runway there are really big hills (who put that runway there.... haha!) here's a couple of links to better explain... first one is a youtube video of a landing in rain, and the second are the approach plates...
Cheers,



http://www.geocities.com/teedeez/images/13IGS_fullpage.jpg

Offline rpd

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Re: Kai Tak - Old Hong Kong Airport
« Reply #3 on: May 15, 2007, 12:42:04 AM »
Sounds similar to the LDA DME RWY19 approach at DCA.  The localizer is offset due to P-56.
« Last Edit: May 15, 2007, 06:56:04 AM by rpd »

Falcon900

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Re: Kai Tak - Old Hong Kong Airport
« Reply #4 on: May 15, 2007, 01:10:36 AM »
Hi,

I was very lucky as a passanger on a CX flight from Paris to be in the cockpit for the IGS RW 13 approach and landing. The day was cloudy with Hz but still something I will not forget.  No a dangerous approach but just very easy to get it all wrong.

I too was lucky to fly out of  Kai Tak with CX to LHR and then return to a brand new airport a few weeks later. I was on one of the last flights out just 24 hrs before it closed and i think that the last commercial departure was the same CX flight to London, the very flight the day after my one. I also was in the cockpit for an ILS to Rwy 07 at the new CLK and it was great comming in from Osaka and over Hongkong city.

Unfortunately 9/11 stopped all this so thankfully we saw some great airports from the cockpit before then. I learnt that if you do not ask you will not get up front and still I love flying from New Zealand to Europe via Asia, just wishing I could do it again. it is such an peaceful place up front, a little air hiss past the windows and just a few bounces as the aircraft bumps along. And then there is the view!

You should also try the RNAV approach into Queenstown ( NZQN) if you want an impressive arrival. Either Visual or IFR it is still one of the most spectacular places to land in the world.

I think there are some video movies on You Tube of Queenstown.

Best regards


Offline kkjlai

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Re: Kai Tak - Old Hong Kong Airport
« Reply #5 on: May 15, 2007, 11:01:43 AM »
I lived and studied under the path (where the banking occurs) of the Rwy 13 Approach back then, it was noisy enough to interrupt our teacher every 3 minutes for say 20 seconds.  And there was "always" a plane departing in between the 3 minutes interval, although not as noisy as it flew over towards the sea.

I also noticed that, the local players, namely Cathay Pacific, usually made the approach path a bit wider and a bit more towards the hill so they can have a longer final and a shallower angle of turn, then the published procedure.

Also rememered I can occasionally feel and hear the wake turbulance even from a meduim weight aircraft, from my school playing ground in the good old days..

Long live Kai Tak..


Offline kiwisteve

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Re: Kai Tak - Old Hong Kong Airport
« Reply #6 on: May 15, 2007, 06:56:21 PM »
I was a passenger on a   JAL  flight  I remember being able to see  residents in their apartments       now thats pretty close  !

Offline Panop

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Re: Kai Tak - Old Hong Kong Airport
« Reply #7 on: June 16, 2007, 09:46:11 AM »
On 15 December 1974 I had the memorable experience of being allowed on the flight deck of a Transmeridian Air Cargo Canadair CL-44 G-AZKJ (ex Flying Tiger Line N1001T) (see http://www.cl44.com/cl44/images/GAZKJx2.jpg for a picture) on which I had managed to hitch a ride to Hong Kong from London-Stansted (another story in itself!).  Despite being somewhat tired at the end of a 30 hour journey in less than luxurious conditions via THR/BGW/MCT/BKK I will never forget the experience of Kai Tak's runway 13 approach - descending in towards the hills with buildings coming up to meet us close and alongside until we came abeam 'Checkerboard Hill' (a section of hillside criss-crossed with bright strips of lighting) on the left side which was the point of decision to either miss the approach and climb out before hitting the hill ahead or, if visual with the runway, make a fairly sharp, low altitude bank to the right and continue the approach on very short finals for the runway built out into the harbour.  Not dangerous as such but certainly not your standard approach and not to be undertaken lightly!  See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kai_Tak_Airport

Offline Mrs T Cooper

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Re: Kai Tak - Old Hong Kong Airport
« Reply #8 on: June 17, 2007, 12:18:23 PM »
I used to fly into Kai Tak many many times (more than I care to remember hey?) starting when they were actually building the runway in 1957/1958.  Used to land on one side while they were still building the other.  Was with RAF Transport Command at the time on the VIP Mk4 Hastings (WJ325) out of RAF Changi, Singapore, and the aircraft only flew the C-in-C Far East UK Force(Adm Sir Varyl BEGG) where ever he wanted to go.

Maybe the approach was more 'difficult' than at the old Kai Tak airport...but the take off at least became much less 'hair raising'.....as departing from R/w 13 was staight out 'through the gap'....where on the old Kai Tak runway it was straight at Lion Rock.......so a 90 deg turn was very advisable ASAP after 'gear up'.

Great memories though looking for the stroble light on Green Island then coming in over Stonecutters Island and peering through the windscreen for the 'checker board'  :-) 

Nev
(Ex: RAF Master Aircrew)