Kai Tak Airport
| Hong Kong International Airport Kai Tak Airport (closed) |
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|---|---|
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| Characteristics | |
| ICAO code | formerly VHHH |
| IATA code | formerly HKG |
| Coordinates | |
| Height above MSL | 9 m (30 ft ) |
| Transport links | |
| Distance from the city center | 1 km east of Hong Kong |
| Basic data | |
| opening | 1954 |
| closure | July 6, 1998 |
| operator | Civil Aviation Department |
| surface | 250 ha |
| Terminals | 1 |
| Passengers | 29.5 million (1996) |
| Air freight | 1.56 million t (1996) |
| Start-and runway | |
| 13/31 closed |
3390 m × 45 m |
The Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong ( Chinese 香港啟德機場 / 香港启德机场 , Pinyin Xiānggǎng Qǐdé Jīchǎng , Jyutping Hoeng 1 gong 1 Kai 2 dak 1 Gei 1 coeng 4 ) was an inner-city airport , which closed on July 6, 1998 was replaced by the newly built Chek Lap Kok Airport . Kai Tak was one of the most difficult airfields in the world to approach, notorious for its complicated approach and the mostly prevailing heavy winds. Until its closure, it was the base of the airlines Cathay Pacific , Air Hong Kong , Hong Kong Airways and Dragonair and was one of the busiest airports in the world. The official name " Hong Kong International Airport " was transferred to the successor airport together with the ICAO code VHHH and the IATA code HKG.
location
Kai Tak Airport was north of Hong Kong's Kowloon Bay and north of Victoria Harbor . There are high mountains in the vicinity of the airport. About two kilometers to the northwest lies the 495 meter high Lion Rock. About five kilometers south is Hong Kong Island with elevations up to 640 meters high.
The airport only had one runway that ran in a southeast-northwest direction (134/314 degrees) and was therefore designated with the runway identifier 13/31 . This track was extended twice. When the airport closed in 1998, the runway was 3,390 meters long. The runway began right in front of Prince Edward Road and jutted through landfills far into Victoria Harbor. Some passengers report that they could have seen the flickering of the televisions in the houses on runway 13 due to the low overflight altitude during the modified ILS approach, the so-called "IGS approach".
history
The airport was named after Messrs Ho Kai and Au Tak. They founded an investment company in 1922 to raise land in Kowloon Bay. In 1924 a flight school was opened on a grassy area. This part of the land was called Kai Tak. It was the basis for the later airport. In 1936 the first domestic flights were started. When Hong Kong was conquered by the Japanese in 1941, they built a second runway. In 1954 it was decided to build a modern airport. One reason for this was that the colonial power's budget surpluses could not be transferred abroad. In 1957, a new 2194 meter long runway was completed and extended in 1970 and 1975. The terminal building was completed in 1962. In 1974 an instrument landing system was installed. At that time, settlements and airports were still far apart. Over the years, however, both the airport and the settlements expanded and soon almost merged.
In 1998, air traffic was relocated to the new Chek Lap Kok Airport , 30 kilometers outside the city center . Years before, plans for the re-use of the old, approximately 2.5 km² Kai-Tak area were drawn up. Initially, apartments for up to 320,000 people were to be built there. Due to downgraded expectations of population growth, the number of planned apartments was later reduced to a capacity corresponding to around 86,000 people. The construction of the new district should start in 2008, the completion in 2012. In addition to apartments, a cruise ship port, commercial and office buildings, a sports stadium and an event hall should also be built on the site. The cruise terminal is scheduled to open in mid-2013.
Approach conditions
A special feature of the airport was the “checkerboard approach” to runway 13 . Due to a mountain range which is an obstacle to the approach in the approach sector of the runway, an ILS-guided direct, straight approach coming from the northwest towards Victoria Harbor was topographically not possible. However, landings in operating direction 13 were indispensable due to the mostly prevailing wind direction.
The radio transmitter based instrument landing system differed from that of other airports as follows: The approach baseline of the localizer not led as usual in a straight line to the center line of the runway, but had deviated from the runway, targeting a Sports park near a situated on the outskirts hill, the Checkerboard Hill . This was clearly visible from afar as a visual guide with a red and white checkerboard pattern, the “checkerboard”. The extension of the central axis of the runway, on the other hand, cut the approach course specified by the landing course transmitter at an angle of 48 ° shortly before the hill. The glide path transmitter also did not refer directly to the runway threshold, but to Checkerboard Hill. Taking off the ILS approach, as is usually the case with this procedure, would not have led to the touchdown point of the runway in Kai Tak, but into the mountain flank of the Checkerboard Hill.
The pilots first had to follow the glide path and landing course towards the sports park near the checkerboard. When reaching the main entry marker ( middle marker, MM ), the original course of the landing course transmitter had to be left immediately by initiating a tight right turn ( "breakout" ), from here onwards the course of an arcuately curved approach flashing light had to be precisely followed in order to align with the final approach to get to the runway center line. After taking this turn, the pilots only had a few seconds to stabilize the aircraft for landing. In addition to these flying challenges, there was also the fact that the approach and the change of direction were carried out shortly before landing at a low altitude over a densely built-up area.
Too "long" landing, or too wide a flare behind the landing threshold, was dangerous for other reasons: first, the runway ended in the water, second among extreme side wind gusts of everyday life. They were often relocated from the center of the runway shortly before touchdown. Because of the proximity to the city, too early touchdown had to be avoided; touching down in front of the white threshold mark was also subject to a fine.
Course and glide-path based instrument landing systems usually have the abbreviation ILS . Since Kai Tak deviated from this standard, his system was not referred to as ILS , but rather as IGS (Instrument Guided System) to avoid misinterpretations . Pilots needed a special license to use it.
In addition to the problems mentioned, the capacity of the airport was no longer able to cope with the increased volume of traffic. Before the end of British colonial rule, work began on the new Chek Lap Kok Airport , which was completed in 1998 and replaced Kai Tak.
Overcrowding in the 1990s
When the passenger terminal was planned in 1960, the airport was designed for 24 million passengers a year. In 1996, however, 29.5 million passengers and 1.56 million tons of freight were handled. This made Kai Tak the world's third largest international airport in terms of passenger numbers and the largest international airport in terms of cargo handled. Settlement in the nearby city center (in the approach lane for runway 13, the houses were allowed to have a maximum of six floors) and a night flight ban between midnight and 6.30 a.m. ultimately led to the closure of the airport.
closure
The last flight movements at the airport took place on the night of July 5th to 6th, 1998. Dragonair flight KA841 ( A320 ) from Chongqing was the last flight to land on runway 13 at 11:38 pm. Cathay Pacific flight CX251 ( B747-400 ) took off at 0:02 am for London Heathrow, making it the last scheduled flight to leave Kai Tak . This was followed by 29 transfer flights to the new Chek Lap Kok Airport . The last take-off of a commercial aircraft was at 01:03 a.m. on the Cathay Pacific CX3340 transfer flight with an Airbus A 340 . At a small farewell ceremony in the tower in front of the press and government representatives, an air traffic controller gave a speech that he ended with the words “Goodbye Kai Tak, and thank you.” (“Goodbye Kai Tak, and thank you”) and switched off the runway lighting. All traffic was then moved to the new Chek Lap Kok Airport. All airport vehicles were transferred in a single action and the ICAO and IATA codes were passed on seamlessly after the last departure. However, since the freight terminal at the new Chek Lap Kok airport could not be used initially due to technical difficulties, freight was still handled via the freight terminal in Kai Tak until the end of August despite landing in Chek Lap Kok.
Todays use
The Kai Tak Cruise Terminal for handling cruise ships is now located on the site of the former airport.
Incidents
- On March 11, 1951, a Douglas DC-4 / R5D-1 of the Thai Pacific Overseas Airlines ( aircraft registration HS-POS ) with 4 crew members and 20 passengers on board after taking off from Hong Kong-Kai Tak Airport in bad weather was visualized in a flight Range of hills flown. All 24 inmates died.
- On June 30, 1967, a Sud Aviation Caravelle III ( aircraft registration HS-TGI ) from Taipei had an accident while approaching Kai Tak Airport during heavy rain. The aircraft fell below the minimum altitude, presumably due to wind currents, and hit the water surface shortly before the runway due to a control error by the copilot. Of the 80 people on board, 24 were killed (see also Thai Airways flight 601 ) .
- On September 2, 1977, a Canadair CL-44D4-2 operated by Transmeridian Air Cargo (G-ATZH) , which was to be used for a flight from Kai Tak Airport to Don Mueang Airport, suffered engine damage immediately after take-off on engine no. 4, causing a fire. The crew tried to return to the airport, but the fire spread to the fuel system and the wing structure. Only eight minutes after take-off, engine no. 4 broke off part of the right wing and the aircraft crashed into the sea (see also Transmeridian Air Cargo Flight 3751 ) .
- On August 31, 1988, a Hawker Siddeley HS.121 Trident 2E of CAAC Airlines ( B-2218 ) launched at Guangzhou-Baiyun Airport (old) slipped into the port basin during a crash landing at Kai Tak Airport. The cause of the accident was probably a sudden deterioration in visibility due to heavy rain, 7 occupants drowned (see also CAAC flight 301 ) .
- On November 4, 1993, China Airlines Flight 605 ( Boeing 747-400 , B-165) landed due to a pilot error during braking under difficult conditions to the left of the runway and slipped into the basin of Victoria Harbor . Of the 396 people on board, 22 were injured.
The Royal Air Force in Hong Kong
For decades, Kai Tak Airport was also used for military purposes by the British, in particular by the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was the main base of the RAF in the Crown Colony , there were also two other used airfields, Sek Kong and Sha Tin.
In addition to the "regular" RAF, there was also the so-called Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force .
RAF Kai Tak
After the Japanese surrender, RAF Station Kai Tak ( RAF Kai Tak for short ) became the base of various squadrons. Flight operations were initially reduced in 1946. As a result of the Berlin blockade and the looming Cold War , the forces were initially strengthened again from 1949, including the Spitfire F24 of the 80th Squadron previously stationed in Gütersloh . For budget reasons, however, there was an increasing tendency to let Kai Tak rotate seasons only temporarily. The 28th Squadron , which flew the Vampires , Venom and Hunter , was permanently stationed here until 1967, with temporary stays in Sek Kong .
From 1968 to 1978 the station was home to helicopter squadrons, including the 28th squadron. RAF Kai Tak was closed in 1978 after flight operations were relocated to Sek Kong.
RAF Sec Kong
The construction of Sek Kong began in 1938, but due to the war, the airfield was not completed until the 1950s. In addition to the two squadrons mentioned by Kai Tak, which were also temporarily in Sek Kong, the RAF station Sek Kong was used by temporary detachments of other squadrons.
After Kai Tak was closed as an RAF station, RAF Sek Kong was the only RAF base in the Crown Colony and in 1978 became home to the 28th Squadron's Wessex helicopters . They flew in Hong Kong until 1996.
In addition to the RAF, the Army Air Corps also used Sek Kong as a base for scout helicopters of the 660th Squadron .
Today, Sek Kong Airfield is home to a dozen helicopters from the Air Force of the People's Republic of China and the Government Air Service .
RAF Sha Tin
As mentioned above, the British military were reinforced in Hong Kong from 1949 onwards. For this purpose, the RAF Sha Tin station was built this year and light Auster AOP.6 observation aircraft were stationed after the opening . The RAF era came to an end in 1957 when the so-called Air Overservation Post squadrons were handed over to the newly established Army Air Corps.
After the severe damage caused by a typhoon in 1962, the airfield was not restored, but demolished. Sha Tin New Town is located here today .
Web links
- Airport data in the Aviation Safety Network (English)
- Kai Tak Airport 1925–1998 (English)
- Video clip of Checkerboard Approaches Rwy 13 on Youtube
Individual evidence
- ↑ Union Investment ( Memento of the original dated October 31, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 3.3 MB), 1/2007 (accessed on September 28, 2008)
- ↑ Philipp Meuser: Hong Kong wants to learn from Potsdamer Platz. Berliner Zeitung , May 29, 2001 (accessed September 25, 2008)
- ↑ news.xinhuanet.com - HK cruise terminal named Kai Tak after former airport ( Memento of the original from November 3, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , October 30, 2012 (accessed January 26, 2013)
- ↑ a b Hong Kong Yearbook 1998: Calendar of Events . Retrieved June 2, 2013.
- ↑ 1998/07/06 - 02 SP Airport (Closing Ceremony) on YouTube
- ↑ The landing approaches on Kai Tak were spectacular
- ^ Accident report DC-4 HS-POS , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on January 15, 2018.
- ^ Accident report Caravelle 3 HS-TGI , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on December 3, 2018.
- ^ Accident report CL-44 G-ATZH , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on July 29, 2020.
- ↑ ebook.lib.hku.hk Official accident report
