[Woodpecker]

And those who feel nostalgic now have an opportunity to stroll down the former runway.

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3135528/new-kai-tak-sky-garden-lets-hongkongers-revisit-scene-hair

2 users thanked author for this post.

DerekVH, canucklad

[canucklad]

Will make a point of visiting the site the next time i’m in HK—-whenever that might be ?

[IanFromHKG]

[postquote quote=1101269]

At the time we lived on HK Island directly opposite the runway (as you opened our front door you looked through the length of our living room and could see the runway beyond). I still remember the Memsahib and I both being woken in the middle of the night by the huge bang as the tailfin was blown off, and wondering what on earth had happened!

[AnthonyDunn]

One of the wonders of the world: approaches into Kai Tak. An evening approach from the opposite direction (over the harbour) on the port side yielded the most stunning views of the island and the illuminations down the many towers, particularly before/during the Lunar New Year period.

It was my impression that it was mainly China Airlines that experienced the odd (still very rare) overshoot into the harbour.

My other abiding memory is of touring the site of the new Chep Lap Kok airport where the largest fleet of dredgers ever assembled scraped bare the sea bed to avoid the same kind of problems as have afflicted Osaka where compression of the mud (“substrate”) has seen the airport runway and buildings progressively sinking into the bay.

Having previously helped run the RN HK Squadron out of HMS Tamar when in MODUK, I then had a post-Business School assignment with the Colonial Administration. In the face of bitter opposition from Beijing and their apologists among the HK business and political elite (who accused HMG and Chris Patten of wilfully depleting and wasting the colony’s financial reserves on this “vanity project”), the administration stood firm and proceeded.

It’s several years since I last travelled to/through HKG but they were planning an additional runway and terminal buildings – this time built on stilts and platforms to avoid the need for further dredging. No idea just how far that has progressed bearing in mind the entire gamut of events that have beset HK in particular and the globe more generally.

[cwoodward]

The worst ‘go around’ offenders by far were the Americans with particularly Flying Tigers (high and hot) being serial offenders. CAAC were in fact not normally bad but when they got the approach wrong they got it badly wrong.
The rule was two attempts and then sent to Taipei which was an easy approach. On most Friday evenings there were at least 2 offenders.

Back in the day I had an apartment atop a hill (Yau Yat Cheun) overlooking the airport final with the aircraft passing a couple of hundred meters away at what seemed to be almost the same height as my roof garden.
I had a large jacuzzi up there and also a good multi band shortwave radio. Myself and some mates often from Cathay would have a BBQ, a cooling splash and a few beers while watching and listening the evening arrivals. We would take bets by judging the approach on who would not get down. Great memories

[Woodpecker]

cwoodward, if you had to ever pick up a friend or family from Kai Tak, you’d probably wait & watch the aircraft fly over your rooftop & then make your way over to Kai Tak in time for them to come down that legendary ramp at arrivals!

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cwoodward

[Woodpecker]

There will never be another airport like Hong Kong’s Kai Tak

Still feel nostalgic….

[Author]

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