Kai Tak Airport - Clear Water Bay Road Hong Kong's Kai Tak airport has a special place in aviation history and memories. "Or even that the passengers on board the plane were able to see what people were watching on TV at home.". The airport acquired a control tower in 1935, along with two concrete runways built for the Japanese during World War Two. [UPDATE: Giving links directly to the photos doesn't seem to work, so here's the longer way to get to them]. Airport Of The Nine Dragons Kai Tak 0 9586746 0 4 In the meantime, the park is already drawing a crowd, from those with vivid memories of the airport's operations, to those who are taking advantage of a new green space to exercise and relax in the middle of Hong Kong's iconic harbor. Surely someone will remember this experience. Having opened in 1925, Kai Tak served as Hong Kong International Airport from 1954. We also played soldiers among the surplus RAF vechicles at the junk yard near Clear Water Bay Road. We've got a few photos of it at:http://gwulo.com/node/7612, but any more you can add will be welcome. Informa Markets, a trading division of Informa PLC. According to Atlas Obscura, Kai Tak was built in 1925 on reclaimed land in Kowloon Bay, opposite Hong Kong Island. Officials at the AVA would prefer you write/phone them before going there but if you arrive without norice and plead "Father/Grandfather served here etc etc" you can usually be allowed to take a look round! The Kai Tak approach had a reputation due to its complexity. The 1944 USAF aerial reconnaisance photo shows a worn track leading from the Kowloon Hills towards Choi Hung Rd and across the nullah. RAF Kai Tak [????-????] Twenty-five years ago, Kai Tak Airport gave Hong Kong a feeling of Daryl Chapman "Oops .": On November 4, 1993, a China Airlines pilot overran the runway while landing in the rain, putting a five-month-old 747-400 into the sea. When the work was complete, there were two concrete runways, one crossing the other. It was a sad victory in a long defeat. In reply to Kai Tak Airport by OldTimer A most terrifying landing. [At this time, Tom Forsyth was imprisonedin the North Point POW camp. The spacing of the houses on the south side, and their set back from the road,is how I remember them. Kai Tak Airport - Wikipedia [Illustrated Chronicle of Hong Kong 1960-1997] by. Where is Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong from SU11? Greetings. When the bells broke the morning silence my 7 a.m. bus would stop allowing me to watch the airplane taxi across the road in front, make a U-turn and next take off. Fortunately, all 396 passengers. The walk through Kowloon Dairy (Wai Kee) was serene, free, and playful for this student. Next, the dark thick and a bit crooked line was a hedge, andnext straightdark line wasthe nullah whichranunder theroadto the airport. Dave Besseling + FOLLOW Published: 11:15am, 20 Sep, 2022 Why you can trust SCMP 65 Post A plane crash in waters off Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong resulted in the death of six Indonesian flight. Another unforgetable moment. And we've also made a subtle reference to airport lounge seating arrangements to help visitors recall their experience of air travel.". [2]. Thai Airways International Flight 601 - Wikipedia It was located in the central built-up city area, with large widebody aircraft making a dramatic and challenging approach to land. All rights reserved. It is refreshing to seehowClear Water Bay Road looked many years ago,and this photoputs me in myschool bus as it was travellinguphill. The origins of Kai Tak Airport go back to 1912, when two Hong Kong businessmen bought land in Kowloon for development. The first Japanese aircraft to use the runway, a large fighter filled with dignitaries, crashed on landing. In 1998, it was replaced by the Hong Kong International Airport in Chek Lap Kok, but Kai Tak Airport still sparks nostalgia among both aviation professionals and Hongkongers alike. Hawker Hunter in Color 0 89747 181 4 It is refreshing to seehowClear Water Bay Road looked many years ago,and this photoputs me in myschool bus as it was travellinguphill. "All the planes used to turn at 600 feet above our school," he said. Thank you MrB for the reply. Given there are now severalmajor roads in this area, is thisroad parallel to the runway Kwun Tong Roador Choi Hung Road? Cultural and historical references to Kowloon City and Kai Tak can be found in this link: http://www.epd.gov.hk/eia/register/report/eiareport/eia_0592001/12-3.pdf, In reply to Kowloon City Market Landing Place by moddsey (not verified). Plane-spotting in Kai Tak: What it was like to photograph those crazy It was hoped that Ho Kai would have been made managing director with a competent salary and be entitled to one share of the company free. Oddly, it is marked out in a grid of streets, not runways. We've received photos of the two landmarks Moddsey mentioned, but I guess they look a bit different from how you'd remember them! There had already been successful passenger flights though, with a passenger balloon taking off from Happy Valley in 1890. A view of the Kai Tak Sky Garden in Hong Kong, China. Photo received by email I've just borrowed a copy of ' The Life And Times Of Sir Kai Ho Kai' from the local library. The hill that was levelled by the Japanese was called Sacred Hill (see the 1930 map above). Thanks for the image! I can notice the spot being today's Choi Hung Road next to the nullah. The Pilots sister Anne is well and now lives in Australia . Air Traffic Control Officer Evelyn Fung says that made the runway a major talking point among aviation enthusiasts. The Hawker Hunter crash that is referred to would appear to be crash of a RAF 28 Squadron FGA Mk 9 (Registration XE535) The Life And Times Of Sir Kai Ho Kai 962 201 873 4 In reply to re: 1962 Hawker Hunter crash by David. raf hangar In the early 1950s Runway 13 was extended in a northwest direction across Choi Hung Road and the Kai Tak Nullah to provide a longer take-off run for larger aircraft using the Airport. There is a grass strip for light aircraft, and slipways for the larger seaplanes that would land and take off in Kowloon Bay. An image from the augmented reality app. I remembered Centurion tanks guarded by Gurkha soldiers parked just inside the gate at the access road across the Tai Hom hangar just before HRM the Queen's Birthday parade on Nathan road. The RAF had always occupied the eastern end of Kai Tak (next to today's Richland and Telford Gardens)whilst the civilian side was located at the western end. I'd always believed that the expansion had been seawards, reclaiming land. Pilots began by flying in a northeastern direction. J NW extension to Runway 13 at Kai Tak [c.1951- ] People could walk across the runway to their destination. They took us across to the mainland and we had to work on extending the runway on the Kai Tak Airport air strip. Just before we left to come back we were served with Zooki, beans cooked up with sugar. For such purpose, the RAF hangar located at the eastern end of the airfiled was dismantled in June 1941. landing - Why didn't planes land from the sea in the old Kai Tak Hong So petrifying was the landing at the now-closed Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong, passengers had a nickname for it: the Kai Tak Heart Attack. The document Moddsey links to refers to old photos of the area. Log in or register to post comments Kai Tak Airport Coordinates: 221943N 1141139E Kai Tak Airport ( IATA: HKG, ICAO: VHHH, VHHX) was the international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. with the landings known as the "Kai Tak Heart . The airport was known for its spectacular location with the skyscrapers and mountains of Kowloon located to the north and its only runway jutting out into Victoria Harbour. Turkey is currently in the process of replacing Istanbul Airport. This photo captures the discussion that is taking place. In reply to 1962 Hawker Hunter crash by Typhoon (not verified). The Rise And Fall Of Hong Kong's Kai Tak Airport - Simple Flying "We've adopted the structure in an elongated form to resemble the body and wings of an airplane," he said. You folks might like to take a look at this despite the site is produced in Chinese. You may find these books good companion: Browse 31 kai tak airport landing photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more photos and images. In reply to 1962 RAF Hunter by Typhoon (not verified). Kai Tak is a legend of the aviation industry. The street still exists, but not the shop. The Landing was surprisingly very smooth, even though it did look like it was going to be a rough one. Unfortunately that doesn't include post-war copies of the SCMP, but one of our anonymous supporters has sent in a couple of relevant clippings and a photo: Some of Fred Evans' photos show the tanks loaded onto the train, heading to Kowloon for a parade, and then the parade itself. But the crash you saw was a Hawker Hunter piloted by my wife's uncle David. It used to be famous as one of the world's most difficult places to land a plane. I was one of a large party who went out to the Kai Tak airfield on the Kowloon side, worked with pick and shovel and handled crushed stone, and big bags of cement. Where was the original shoreline of the Kowloon City area whenKowloon and New Territory became parts ofthe colony? The goal was to build and sell housing on the new land, but they ran out money before the work could be finished. It is believed that the track was used by British POW labour to transport rubble for the building of the paved runways. Prior to the closure of RAF Kai Tak in the 1970s, Kai Tak Airport and the airfield prior to it was divided into civilian and military use. The airport is also referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport or Chek Lap Kok Airport, to distinguish it from its predecessor, the former Kai Tak Airport. This website provides two excellent overhead photos of Kai Tak Aerodrome from pre-1941. Unfortunately, their business plan never came to fruition, and the government purchased the development land to use for an airfield. Well by the time I got out to work they had finished building the runway and we were cutting down a hill , they wanted to extend the airport into this hill and the Chinese ceremonial cemetery hill and they couldnt get the Chinese to work on it because it was full of peoples burial vaults. The aviation record indicates that the northwestern extension to Runway 13 in San Po Kong was completed in October 1950. In reply to Kai Tak restaurant by Susan B-K (not verified), Is this it? At the opening of the school, everything went wrong. It evolved with the city, becoming a full-fledged commercial airport as . Today, it must be running below some streets to the sea. While runway 13 has such a system when the airport closed, it was only available for the final leg of the approach following its installation. The reduced storage area remained for quite sometime as a small island. around the Concorde Road area. But most of the new land appears to be in the northwest, extending the airfield further inland. "There was a joke saying that because of the aircraft flying at low altitude over Kowloon City, people at the top of the buildings could almost touch the aircraft wheels as they flew over," she said. Suggested By: ttyymmnn JAL 747 landing at the old Kai Tak. for the view of the Kai Tak Reclamation (Bund), Kowloon City Police Station (at bottom), the civilian hangar (at centre), RAF hangar, slipway and buildings (far distance) and Sai Kung Road traversing Kowloon City. Hi, that sounds like the Officers' Mess Building. I would like to thank all the enthusiasts from YouTube especially Mr. Boyd Kelly (airboyd of YouTube) which I used their best fragments in making this special Kai Tak video. Due to the huge growth in passengers, tied with the complex, challenging, and sometimes dangerous approach, the government made a decision to relocate the airport. Standing at 200 meters above ground, when completed in 2022 Airside . Thank you all, for such resourceful materials. When Hong Kong was growing, passenger traffic was simultaneously growing. There were two road crossing points with barrriers and bells to halt road traffic. Indeed, it was once ranked the 6th most dangerous airport due to this approach. Log in or register to post comments When they extended Kwan Tong Road, all those dozen boxes were moved to the right (east) side to be with the other metal frames. James Carter Published July 7, 2021 Read later Share this article This Week in China's History: July 6, 1998 Kai Tak Airport . Recently I've been visiting Kwun Tong area & discovered some of the old RAF sites which are still here today at 2008. It showed photos of a recent dig/survey in last April at Kai Tai. A crowd gathers on the car park roof on July 5, 1998, to view some of the last flights at Kai Tak Airport. Very tired tonight. Shows place(s) "Pilots had to make a visual right turn at a 47-degree angle to align with the runway," she said. Date is a guess I recently read a Chinese book on the history of Kai Tai and I am now interested in the history of the area. The second photo captures the discussion that is taking place. "What we're trying to do is to put a network of green space, spread all around the development, so that people can walk from one place to another," he said. A Korean Air Cargo Boeing 747 freighter banks to the right as it passes the buildings of Hong Kong. I also had pictures on HMS Victorious and USS Coral Sea from my school's Aero club tour but I lost all the pictures when I immigrated to Canada, but thanks to sites like yours I can still reminisce about the past. Gallery: Remembering Thrilling Landings at Kai Tak Airport And we got on the ferry every morning to go to Kai Tak Airport. Au Tak[3]. HKIA was relocated from Kai Tak to Chek Lap Kok overnight . Short Sunderland in World War II 1 85310 429 9 It's not clear when the work was finished, but the 'Ernie's story' websitenotes that the POWs did their best to limit any benefits the Japanese would receive from the POWs' work: Even though the Canadians had no choice but to help the Japanese build Kai Tak, they found a way to sabotage it by putting too much sand in the concrete which made it brittle. Because of the proximity of the RAF, I grew up watching the Vampires, Venoms, Hunters, Canberras, Neptunes and particulary exciting when the huge camouflaged Blackburn Beverly in shiny gloss paint took off! Who could forget the checkerboard approach, with the tight right-hand turn to line up for runway 13 (aka Kai Tak heart attack), and passengers at the right-hand windows looking right into peoples lounge rooms? harry The expansion was conducted by the Japanese, with many of the Allied POW's used as labourers. Airport comes of age after Kai Tak test | The Standard Here are the photos Moddsey refers to. Thai Airways International Flight 601 took off from Taipei Songshan Airport (TSA/RCSS) on an hour-long flight to Kai Tak Airport. Next page See my flickr upload about the Longjin Bridge excavation in former Kai Tak Terminal building site. Choi Hung Rd and the nullah Hong Kong's heart-stopping approach. The Sud Aviation Caravelle (Registration: HS-TGI), which had made its . Interviewer: So your march you were always carrying heavy Yeah, we had a big, long bamboo pole, one guy in the front and one guy in back and the bag of rice, rice bag and they throw three and a half, two and a half shovels of dirt on this bag and there were strings from end, like this and then we'd put a bamboo pole through it, put them on our, and march, dump them in the ocean, march back. And it happened a few times, too many times that we didn't have any breakfast or we didn't have any dinner. Tokat Airport - Wikipedia His brother Bill my wifes father sadly died af years ago. The Cessna 550, a turbo . Well from when we finally got down to the harbour, they took us to, our camp was camp Sham Shui Po, then we did the walk from Kowloon to Sham Shui Po. Often with strong crosswinds, the airport was infamously difficult to land at. In this 1924 map we can see several roads have been built, and the area that will become the airfield has already been reclaimed in the top right corner of the map. It is on the mainland. Kai Tak Airport was the international airport of Hong Kong from 1925-1998. It was likely demolished by the mid-1950s. This is the very spot I stood many times waiting for one bus or the other. I'm thinking it was either Tin Tin or the Seven Seas Restaurant, but am probably off on both. I might have misled you. The demand for living and business space in downtown Hong Kong is one of the reasons Kai Tak ceased operations. memon It was planned to build something like a garden estate there with houses, recreation grounds etc., for private tenancy. Yes, Tin Tin was one of the Chinese restaurants at Kai Tak Airport. Operations continued in 2010 until April 2017, when all scheduled flights were stopped due to Borajet, the only carrier then serving the airport, ceasing operations. Grow Your Business. There is no information at hand to indicate when did the RAF hangar at Tai Hom become disused. Yes we were, we were. The year also saw the start of work on a $110,000,000 project to revolutionize Kai Tak Airport by the construction of a 7,200-ft runway on an artificial promontary reclaimed . [] For all that Ho kai had done for Hong Kong, no street or building had been named after him. In Wings over Hong Kong p.141, the exact cause of the accident was never determined. kai tak FOR DETAILS & TO DOWNLOAD THIS AIRPORT FILM:https://shop.justplanes.com/WORLD-AIRPORT-CLASSICS-Hon-Kong-Kai-Tak-Part-1/p/50152=====. Interviewer: Were you men still fed the same amount of food? That was the old wall that was part of the Chinese fortification in the area. RAF hangar at Tai Hom and the access road leading to it Greetings. Whereas the nullah nearthe runway extension was adjacent to the road, this nullah was a bit remoteso not too many outsidersknew of its existance. I think it had a different name in the 1980s, but cannot say for sure. DC-3s. /CGTN. Not accustomed to anything sweet for so long made some of the boys sick.