Notes

Kai Tak Remembered
More when compared to a decade has currently passed since typically the former Hong Kong World Airport at Kai Tak closed for people who do buiness on July 6 1998 to end up being replaced by the superb new service built on reclaimed land at Chek Lap Kok about Lantau Island. Typically the two airports are just like chalk and cheese; one futuristic, one other was long past the sell by date; but there are still lots who mourn the particular demise of the aged place. Lots of people are fliers who readily remember the adrenalin rush as they well guided their aircraft along the instrument guidance program (IGS) just a few hundred toes above densely populated Kowloon tenements towards the infamous orange colored and white coated checkerboard. When this is in view plus the aircraft effectively aligned with a level of just 675 feet (206 metres), a sharp forty seven degree turn seemed to be required to get the aircraft through a sweeping competition before levelling out there 150 feet (46 metres) from the runway threshold.

From night, an unique lights system set exactly at 400-foot intervals on rooftops plus specially built gantries guided pilots toward the runway center line. As final approach was imminent the spacing involving the lights decreased to 200 feet. The need to use lights to steer pilots in this kind of way, enforced a ban on blinking neon signs during Hong Kong in order to avoid distracting incoming pilots. The next thunderstorm was often bad; typhoons, microbursts and severe crosswinds included with the workload of pilots and even in many values Kai Tak was a major incident waiting to take place. Several errant aeroplanes did end inside the shallow seas of Kowloon Gulf and it had been indeed fortuitous that no commercial airliners ever came upon the crammed dwellings of Kowloon or missed the turn to end up ploughing into Lion Rock. It was due mainly to extremely great aviation skills, outstanding air traffic management and, more specifically inside the early days, a wonderful element regarding luck. The international airport certainly had its share of situations and many modern aviation enthusiasts will have got seen the video on 'You Tube' that shows just how close a Korean Air Boeing 747 came to catastrophe during an serious weather landing.

Mister Kai and Mister Add
The account of the airport dates back in order to the 1920s any time two businessmen, Sir Ho Kai (a trained medical doctor) and Mr Au Tack* (owner regarding a photographic business) formed the Kai Tack Land Expense Company Ltd in order to reclaim land that they intended to work with to build new homes. The job failed due to the fact several people desired to survive land that was still infested by mosquitoes. The reclaimed area had been left vacant until it was absorbed by the government. In November 1924 the Royal Navy blue ship HMS Pegasus arrived in Victoria Harbour carrying four Fairey IIID seaplanes that will were used to carry out aerial photography. These types of were flown in aerial reconnaissance quests over Mires plus Hias Bays, the particular known haunts of notorious pirates that will plundered shipping within the South China Marine. Sir Reginald Stubbs flew in a single of such aircraft and even in so doing became the very first Governor of Hk in order to survey his place from a seaplane.

There was certainly the need for an army facility within Hong Kong but beneath the 1021 California Agreement the English were not allowed to establish a bottom east of Singapore. The British Authorities candidly found some sort of solution by making an airfield regarding civil use upon the site that may also be used by visiting Fast Air Arm airplane. In January 1925 American dare devil Harry W Abbott, was granted authorization to start a new flying school on the site that he known as Kowloon City Field. On Lunar Brand new Year Day they announced the inauguration of his class by taking away in a Curtiss Jenny with flame crackers attached in order to his rudder. Although check here failed to ignite and this kind of was considered undesirable fung shui by simply the watching race fans. His colleague, the Chinese-American pilot Holly Yee Young, done a series regarding aerobatics before Abbott returned to the particular air with Rich Earnshaw aboard that made a parachute decent. But check here went badly bad and Earnshaw got in the harbour, got tangled in his parachute and drowned. A series of happenings continued to court docket Abbott through Aug he was out of cash and forced in order to sell his plane.

The Royal Air flow Force took more than the airfield about March 10 1927 and apart through the Japanese occupation during the War remained in several form until 93. The posting has been not popular in the beginning because of typically the pungent odours emitting from the regional nullah (open drain) that competed with the smell of lard from a manufacturing plant situated close simply by. The pungent nullah continued to meet passengers aboard coming aircraft right up in order to the final times of the airport.

About November 18 1928 a flight of Shorts Southampton traveling boats touched straight down in the harbour and were tied up to special moorings in Kowloon These kinds of. This was the famous China trip of Group Chief Cave-Brown-Cave that was becoming flown from Singapore to Australia that later evolved while 205 Squadron. In order to transport the aircraft from the water the concrete slipway got to be built plus a steam motorised hoist utilized to lifter the planes on to dry land. Things acquired started to develop and even the Legislative Authorities set money as well as for improvements and maintenance at the facility. By 1930 the runway got been levelled plus re-turfed and a steel hanger was completed to replace typically the matting structures of which were at risk of capture fire. In Sept. 2010 Mr A M R Moss appeared from London in order to take up the particular position of Aerodrome Superintendent accompanied by his assistant Erik Nelson five years later to influence the particular development of typically the airfield.

The Real Website link
In 1932 the flying team members became involved in a disagreement of which forced its seal. Vaughan Fowler, the particular prominent manager associated with the Far East Aviators Company, suggested reforming the club and even it became the particular Far Eastern Traveling School with some sort of fleet of aircraft consisting of a single Avro Avian plus three Avro Cadets. The business enterprise employed a new staff of ten Chinese, ten English language and had 44 engineering students; the of how interest in aviation experienced progressed. 2 years afterwards the airfield was further developed along with the addition associated with a sea walls, a surrounding boundary and a bring for sea planes. Work was also completed on lodging for the RAF on the eastern side of typically the old runway where buildings were constructed on a dust track that led to the fishing small town of Lei Yut Mun. These had a commanding view over a sandy beach plus stood 30 metres above the airfield on land where blocks of large rise flats might later dominate the backdrop on typically the eastern side associated with the airport. Presently there were also plans to tarmac the particular runway.

In 1928 the British plus Hong Kong governments promised to spend �200, 000 to convert Kai Tidak into a current facility. In Greater london the Colony has been still given only secondary consideration and it also took until 1935 for a civilian control tower and even offices to become built and then for the first fire engine to be acquired. On March twenty-five 1929 the extended awaited first commercial flight arrived if the de Havilland DH 86 G-ACWD Diana Class 'Dorado' of Imperial Breathing passages touched down. This kind of had operated the particular inaugural feeder assistance from Penang and Saigon that had connected with the particular delayed UK to be able to Australia (Empire Route) flight that got departed from Birmingham on March 16. The experienced Imperial Air passage pilot, Capt T Lock was within command if he noted seeing three sharks basking inside the seas of the Southern region China Sea listed below his aircraft as he neared the Nest. Sweeping through a good area known just as Magazine Gap with around 11. 30am the magnificent vista of Victoria Harbour opened before him or her and he was escorted on his approach by the squadron of airplane from HMS Hermes. Awaiting the flight was the Governor of Hong Kong, Sir Andrew Caldecott and 200 VIPs who expected to be able to greet only the staff when the plane came to a new halt. There has been an element associated with surprise when the first commercial passenger ever to get at Kai Tidak emerged from your aircraft. Ong Ee-Lim, some sort of keen amateur start, had squeezed in between 16 bags associated with Her Majesty's postal mail after flying his very own aircraft from Kuala Lumpur to Penang specifically to become on the airline flight.

The Imperial Air passages DH 86 had visited the Nest before when Capt Armstrong had flown the aircraft throughout a series involving proving flights the particular previous year. The particular people of Hong Kong had followed the particular progress of these types of flights for many considerable time and when poor weather endangered the first involving these, Armstrong not wishing to disappoint the people or risk losing the particular precious mail contract flew 1852 miles (2980 kms) by Penang in a single day (September 16). When typically the route opened to be able to regular traffic this cut the thirty four day sea trip between England in addition to Hong Kong to five days by air. Later, when agreement was reached along with Siam (now Thailand) the shorter way via Bangkok cut another day and even a half in the journey. By the particular time Imperial Breathing passages had started operating C Class soaring boats to Singapore, the 15, 000 mile (24, 150 kms) route had been reduced to 5� days using the DH 86 providing the final link between Singapore in addition to Kai Tak. Nowadays, because of the progress built in establishing over-flying rights, shorter tracks over Russia, Siberia and China need substantially reduced typically the distance between Greater london and Hong Kong to 6, 500 miles (9, 856 kms) that modern jets can protect non-stop in fewer than twelve hrs.

Between the Battles many famous extended distance and round the world record breaking pioneers landed with Kai Tak even though regular commercial services were slow in order to commence. During 1932 the Compagnie Fran�ais Air Orient meant to connect Hong Kong with the Marseilles-Saigon services but plans have been dropped. Two decades earlier the Sino-Deutsche Luft Hansa possessed Eurasian Aviation Corporation had also offered a mail path between Kai Tidak and Europe nevertheless this idea droped by the wayside, but later expanded its Peiping (Beijing)-Canton service to Hong Kong on June 29 1937 making use of the versatile Junkers JU-52. After that, on August twelve 1938 Air Portugal arrived from Rome in their Dewoitine 338 tri-motor F-AQBF 'City of Vientiane' in six days and nights before setting a fresh record between Hanoi and Hong Kong in 3 several hours 20 minutes.

Inside February 1930 Juan Trippe's Pan Us Airways staked a 45 percent discuss to form typically the Chinese National Modern aviation Corporation (CNAC) inside of collaborated with typically the Chinese Ministry associated with Communication. On October 8 they opened up a flying vessel service linking Shanghai in china, Wenchow, Foochow, Amoy, Swatow and Canton with Hong Kong using Sikorsky S-38s. Two years later they flew the route twice-weekly using Douglas Dolphin amphibians, afterwards introducing the Douglas DC-3 as voyager traffic increased.

Griddle Am had recently been keen to include Hong Kong for their trans-Pacific operations and April 28 1937 this was attained together with the arrival associated with the Sikorsky S042B flying boat (NC16734) 'Hong Kong Clipper' on the expanded service from San Francisco and Manila. By then the Japanese were already overrunning parts of China in addition to by July Peking had fallen. Because of this, commercial flights above China became innately dangerous and frequently came under open fire in the Japanese. CNAC courageously continued to fly and in 1938 a Douglas DC-2 from the organization was shot lower near Macau killing all 14 on board. The plane was returned in order to Kai Tak by simply barge, repaired and put back into assistance. In October 1940 and May 1941 a couple of more DC 2s were shot lower with fatalities while flying the Chunking-Kunming-Hong Kong service. Typically the airline's final pre-war flight departed coming from Kai Tak about December 12 1941 as the Japanese people prepared to an explosive device the airport. The British military had already declared Hong Kong indefensible and whenever the enemy intrusion commenced on Wednesday December 8 1941 the RAF had only three Vickers Wildebeests based in Kai Tak and even two Supermarine Walrus amphibians tethered ocean going. The airport continuing to be strafed destroying six stopped airliners and Baking pan Am's 'Hong Kong Clipper' that was at anchor. 4 more airliners miraculously survived a bomb that went via the roof of these hanger but did not explode. Over typically the next two days CNAC aircraft often evacuated airport staff to China while the RAF detachment moved to Hong Kong Island prior to the British surrendered the territory at christmas. The Japanese got Kai Tak intended for military use nevertheless flights operated by simply Greater Japan Weather Lines that had served the airport terminal in peace time continued. Two tarmac runways of about 4, 266 feet (1, 300 metres) long were constructed by simply prisoners of war. Kai Tak had been bombed many periods from 1942 tom 1945 by Usa forces with significant success but this was deemed impractical to mount virtually any prolonged effort in order to remove the occupying forces.

Japan surrendered on August twelve 1945 and the particular British re-established their presence. Although Navy Air Arm Grumman Hellcats and Avengers flew into typically the airport on September 29 the strip were still littered with bomb craters and the dirt of wrecked adversary aircraft. By mid-September the RAF experienced begun to re-establish a new presence with a squadron of Supermarine Spitfires through Christmas four squadrons got become operational. Brief Sunderland flying vessels and Douglas DC-3 Dakotas were included with the mix of aircraft using Hong Kong. British Abroad Airways Corporation (BOAC) had expressed their intention to establish their particular flying boat services from Hythe to be able to the Colony that were postponed at the particular outbreak of war. These services, working with the Hythe Category Short Sunderland started on August twenty four 1946. Throughout the same year an important storm hit the spot wrecking several parked aircraft. This was used in quick succession by a Douglas Dakota military aircraft crashing onto Kowloon Tong after get off.

RAF squadrons came and travelled throughout the majority of the article war period getting with them a variety of aircraft including sobre Havilland Venoms, Hawker Hunters and several helicopter types that have been used for some sort of range of obligations including search plus rescue. The United kingdom military also deterred a threat through Chinese Communist causes in the Pearl River Delta throughout the late nineteen forties and played a task in helping to be able to quell the Hong Kong riots regarding 1967. From 1993 onwards the international airport was home in order to the Royal Hk Auxiliary Air Pressure, the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps Air unit plus later the Government Flying Service. The particular Hong Kong Aviation Team also had their facility at the corner with the international airport close to the threshold of catwalk 13 that in later years presented an interesting standpoint for enthusiasts.

Cathay Pacific and Publish War Developments
Inside October 1945 the former CNAC initial, Roy Farrell, who else had flown the particular infamous eastern Himalayas 'Hump' between The far east, Burma and Indian during the Warfare bought an aging Douglas C-47 that will he had changed for civilian employ as a DC-3. He flew typically the aircraft from typically the USA via a roundabout route to Shanghai where he fulfilled his old acquaintance, former Australian conflict ace, Syd para Kantzow. The pals formed an airline that in February 1946 started functioning cargo flights out of Shanghai. Typically the aircraft was authorized VR-HAD and named 'Betsy' along with the label they adopted the company, Cathay Ocean Airways, became the legend. A next DC-3 (VR-HDB) called 'Nikki' was included as well as the enterprise quickly became extremely successful causing trepidation amongst their Chinese challenges. The situation had become 'unhealthy' in the old Chinese city and Farrell and even de Kantzow noticed the wisdom of moving their procedure to British manipulated Hk. After marketing for air hostesses Cathay Pacific started making trial voyager flights to Manila, Bangkok and Singapore. A year later five a lot more DC-3s and a couple of Consolidated Catalina PBY 5a amphibians have been acquired second-hand while more destinations were added. Catalina, VR-HDT 'Miss Macao' produced history in order to was subjected to the initial take action of air piracy. On July 19 1948 four Chinese attempted to manage the aircraft in between Macau and Hong Kong in the belief that gold of these was being moved. One of the particular hijackers was mentioned to have had a knowledge involving flying the airplane type but things went wrong whenever a struggle ensued and Captain Dale Cramer was photo in the brain. The aircraft proceeded to go out of handle and crashed into the Pearl River Delta with a new crew of three and 23 people aboard. One associated with the hijackers was your only survivor. In June 15 72 a further occurrence occurred when some sort of bomb aboard a single of the company's Convair 880s damaged the aircraft above Vietnam.

In 1948 one of the 'noble' English trading companies, Ruben Swire and Kids invested in Cathay Pacific. Farrell sold his stake in the airline and went back to Texas in 1948 and sobre Kantzow resigned inside of 1951. The flight grew substantially and is now one of the world's foremost workers. Swire's main rivals, Jardine Matheson owned Hong Kong Air passage that also operated from Kai Tak. BOAC had used in this air travel to link Oriental cities to it is international routes, yet in 1959 Hk Airways merged with Cathay Pacific. The particular airline also founded a highly trustworthy maintenance facility, typically the Hk Aviation Engineering Company (HAECO) from Kai Tak plus in most recent decades it became a serious shareholder in the two other Hong Kong based airlines; Dragonair and Atmosphere Hong Kong.

Because the War the structure of Kai Gak continued to modify to satisfy the rapid requirements of a good ever changing airline industry. During typically the 1950s the air-port witnessed a massive increase in local and international businesses. Many international providers including BOAC, Skillet American Airways, Qantas, Air India, Southwest and Canadian Pacific cycles added Hong Kong with their schedules. Douglas DC-4s and DC-6s, Boeing B-377 Stratocruisers, Bristol Britannias and even Lockheed Constellations have been regular visitors in addition to with the turbo-props came the need to have for a longer runway. In 1958 a new new 8, 340 feet (2, 542 metres) x 2 hundred feet (60. ninety six metres) runway has been opened on gotten back land at the elevation of 18 feet (4. 87 metres) above Kowloon Bay with overrun aspects of 750 feet (228. 60 metres) with the northwest conclusion and 300 feet (91. 44 metres) at the water experiencing end. Over several, 000 workmen toiled on the project that will commenced in The month of january 1956 but completed punctually for typically the arrival from the very first flight on July 31 1958. A parallel taxi-way in addition to a new traveling terminal building were added. At the particular official opening associated with the runway on September 12th the Comet 4 regarding BOAC specifically flown to Hk through the de Havilland airfield at Hatfield became the initial jet airliner ever to land at the airport. By the end regarding 1958 4, 773 aircraft had showed up and 19 airline carriers operated 184 plane tickets weekly to and from Kai Tak. On July seventeen 1959 a Cathay Pacific DC-3 formally opened night businesses into the airport after additional light was installed.

In 1960 Pan Am flew the primary B-707 into Kai Tak followed inside the same year by the initial DC-8 operated by Japan Air Lines. A milestone showed up once the first B-747, Pan Am 'Clipper One' touched lower on April 14 1970 witnessed by simply a vast audience. The arrival of the wide bodied period brought additional pressure to further increase the runway span. By 1974 a great extension had prolonged this to 14, 130 feet (3, 390 metres) and extra taxiways, turn-off in addition to parking areas and a new fire train station had been added. Traffic had increased to such an extent that simply by 1995-96 61 air carriers using Kai Gak were contributing two, 850 passenger plus cargo flights and even 230 non-scheduled travel arrangements weekly. 78 for every cent of these flights were wide bodied aircraft plus this had increased the number associated with passengers passing through the terminal to be able to 28 million. The facility had also become the world's second busiest freight airport handling a single. 48 million considérations. With 31 timetabled movements per hour or so Kai Tak acquired reached maximum capability and hundreds of excess requests for clinching slots had to be refused. It was clear that the fresh airport was essential and when it opened up for business at 6. 20am with the arrival of Cathay Pacific CX889 immediate from New york city that was not prior to time.

*For some reason the 'c' was dropped through the airport name though it did appear while Kai Tack around the original gates.

By simply Bob Bluffield

Robert 'Bob' Bluffield is really a full time writer/photographer and is the author of 'Imperial Air passages - The Beginning of the United kingdom Airline Industry 1914-1940' published by Ian Allan October year.
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