I had an opportunity to land at 13 , I was in the jump seat of 747. The Captain was a friend of mine and in the old days security wasn't such a big deal. This was one of the highlights of my life in the air.
@delstanley13496 жыл бұрын
I remember as a passenger (on Philippine Airlines, or Malaysia Air) landing in Kai Tak in 1980. I was coming from Manila. When we approached HK we seem to be weaving in between the mountains like we were trying to sneak in under radar and drop bombs on the city. At one point it seems one wing was on top of the other wing the bank was so steep. Finally as we lowered you could see apartments and businesses stacked in the mountains. As we got ever lower, I kept looking for the ground/runway to come under us. It never did! It looked like we were going to land in the water, like an Alaskan ski plane. We landed but I never saw land on touch down; only when we taxied to the gates. It turns out the landing strip jutted out into the sea (South China Sea I think). Man it was fun, this was probably as close for me as a civilian to get a small bit of feel like a fighter jet landing on an aircraft carrier. Then in 1981 I took off from Kai Tak at night on Cathay Pacific. During the day you see all sorts of businesses in HK. Some are major, some are small "mom and pop" stores. They ALL seem to have some bright neon sign. Many of these neon signs, when you were just walking around were just cheesy and gaudy. A small restaurant could be selling a simple fish dish, but the surrounding bright signs made it look like a carnival. This went on everywhere. While all this was gaudy at street level it provided one of the most spectacular sights I have ever seen! This was during the night take off at Kai Tak. When the plane was lifting off and ascending through the mountains, I saw this amazing light show. It was as though I was a bug flying up and up through a Christmas tree, like I was entering a fourth or even fifth dimension! Layer upon layer of those mountains were lit up almost to the top including apartment buildings. All these bright and multicolored lights were on both sides of the plane, not just on one side. I wanted to ask the pilot to circle around HK and do it all over again! I will never forget that sight, even though it was all man-made. I haven't been to HK in years, and know the airport has moved, and I sometimes wonder if the new airport offers those kind of views. In any case the Old Kai Tak airport was truly an amusement park ride.
@cyderandsilky2 жыл бұрын
I wish you could arrive Kai Tak at night when the plane approached the sea of light, that made you wonder how the pilot could find the runway.
@delstanley13492 жыл бұрын
@@cyderandsilky >Indeed, imagine a fighter jet landing on an aircraft carrier in the middle of the black ocean with no "lighthouse mountains" to act as a guide...just Darth Vader's laser sword lying there to land on! I think at one time (not really sure) that Kai Tak didn't allow night flights. Glad I got to take off from there when I did.
@cyderandsilky2 жыл бұрын
@@delstanley1349 No midnight flight only, but it was about the noise. There were leading lights on top of buildings to guide the planes to Checkerboard. Before those leading lights installed I really don’t know how the pilot can find the way.
@cyderandsilky2 жыл бұрын
@@delstanley1349 the leading lights also guide to Kai Tak Airport
@eoj2495 Жыл бұрын
Arrived HKG May 1977 on a Pan Am 747. It was a very exciting experience!! Weaving thru the hills, that hard right turn and drop down thru the buildings and a perfect landing
@joecies4 жыл бұрын
Was fortunate enough to have experienced this approach back in '97. I had no idea it existed at the time as it was my first trip to HK. Needless to say I was quite alarmed when we 'unexpectectly' went into a severe turn/bank as we were what seemed like mere meters over the buildings. Makes me smile when I think about it. The Kai Tak heart-attack.
@suzannerickles6169 Жыл бұрын
I visited a friend living in Hong Kong in the late 90s when the new airport was being built. Turned out we flew directly over her apartment building, and when there on the ground it was so noisy could not hear anything if a plane was coming in. It was night when I landed, and while taxing to the terminal passed several advertising billboards aimed at folks like me in planes coming in- truly a captive audience!
@rogerusa9696 Жыл бұрын
Visited it many years ago. Back then it was a dual purpose airport being military and civilian because it was also a Royal Air Force station. I remember seeing Vampires lined up over in the military section.
@roconnor0111 ай бұрын
The checkerboard was repainted in Summer 2023 after locals requested a reminder of the old Kai Tak Airport.
@billychiu11976 жыл бұрын
Spent my childhood staring at this airport from the window everyday!! Stayed in Ping Shek Estate.
@JamesWeatherly6 жыл бұрын
Maybe I waved when I flew by in my KLM 747
@TomPidden2 жыл бұрын
Visited the checkerboard yesterday, it has recently been restored and looks fabulous again now! shame it's only for show
@brucewayne36023 жыл бұрын
you are a hero as are thousands of pilots flying into Kai Tak ... done it 5 times as a passenger, once in a severe storm ... words are adequate to describe "the approach" .... sincere Thank-you James !!!
@MorrisonLee-wt2jpАй бұрын
Thank you for sharing this with us. Landing there on June 30 1997 was sooo exciting. I recall banking heavily between apartment blocks. I looked out my (right side) window to peer into the eyes of a mum who was washing up a plate at the sink. The span between us was only about 50 metres. I can still clearly visualize the moment in my memory. I love Hong Kong! Australia
@frankgallagher57863 ай бұрын
Well done this video, old school. Note the KLM simulator! A maintenance fiasco it was , originally built as a 747-200 sim and later modified to -300 updates. Frequent breaks during a sim session to re boot. The approach required good preparation. Especially after a long flight you really had to be on your toes with fatigue. Tailwind on base could really mess things up and thermal activity. But really just came down to pure handling skills . Thanks for taking the time to put this together.
@valobrien95964 жыл бұрын
One of the trickiest runways in the world just HAD TO be assigned the number 13 eh?! 😄
@brucewayne36023 жыл бұрын
truly incredible
@Ghostrider-713 жыл бұрын
Wasn’t so lucky for the China Airlines B747-400. Slid right off the end of the runway in a storm. The airport authority had to blow the vertices stabilizer off so aircraft could land and takeoff during the salvage operation.
@glennpeacock44602 ай бұрын
Thank you for sharing this with us. I flew into Kai Tak many many times, as a British Airways steward. Happy memories of Hong Kong, even though it seems like a lifetime ago.
@tenskippern13944 жыл бұрын
Brings back good memories , Thank oyu
@PMWhoKnows3 жыл бұрын
Had to go so Singapore for business and had a dream before leaving about looking out the window and almost directly into office buildings on landing. Went from LAX to Narita then Kai Tak and then to Singapore. When we made our final approach there it was just like the dream as we banked in to landing at Kai Tak. What a ride!
@brucewayne36023 жыл бұрын
must fly it ... words are not adequate to describe this nearly surreal approach ... pilots, thousands, heroes all !!!
@Jeremyho4393 ай бұрын
I lived on an island called Cheung Chou. It was the first landmark that the pilots had to seek. Once the found the island, the had to look straight to find the Green Island with a light house. When the reached the light house, they had to break left hard to find the checker board. When they saw the board, they had to break hard right, then they would see the runway.
@christinahutchence23726 жыл бұрын
Great video landed there for the first time as a teen in 1965. Heart stopping.
@JamesWeatherly6 жыл бұрын
Thanks and keep watching. Follow us on twitter @jtwpilot
@mikedooly72882 жыл бұрын
I flew into the old Kai Tak several times in my career. It was always impressive.
@terryalsop1606 жыл бұрын
I was a kid living in HK and the planes for a 4/5 ur old were no big deal. Had quite a few landings/takeoffs at Kai Tak. As an adult in the Forces I got to experience landing whilst in cockpit of a VC 10! Just awesome! RIP Kai Tak!
@JamesWeatherly6 жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing!
@N330AA5 жыл бұрын
Those were the days, Kai Tek, less overcrowding and pollution, nicer buildings and of course the Union Jack flying proud. Take me back :'(
@smaze17826 жыл бұрын
It was a total bummer when this historic airport closed down. Thanks for the video JTW.
@JamesWeatherly6 жыл бұрын
Yeap. Thanks for the feedback and keep watching.
@billwatkins2764 ай бұрын
FWIW, I believe the checkerboard as a visual approach cue was in use at least as early as the early 1960s. I have a BOAC booklet "Flying the Boeing 707" from the early 60's (at least) that showed the checkerboard in use then.
@tonyhaynes90806 жыл бұрын
My introduction to being based out in Hong Kong for three years was the checker board approach. Looking out the window at the Chinese man sat on his balcony eating his bowl of rice.
@JamesWeatherly6 жыл бұрын
I felt the same way. Sometimes it seemed like that man could touch my wingtip. Enjoy and keep watching.
@spndx665 жыл бұрын
I once rode on a Canadian Pacific Airlines flight (1980s) into Kai Tak with a senior official of HKG’s civil disaster planning and management agency who recounted about the number of body bags that were stock piled in the tragic event that an inbound wide body aircraft collided into a high rise apartment complex. This was long before the events of 9-11 and the WTCenter collapse. An arriving transoceanic aircraft would have consumed most of its fuel load.
@mssabin494 жыл бұрын
I was among the first wave of air marshals about 1972. I arrived at this airport many times, and it always piqued my attention.
@charliebrown61616 жыл бұрын
Did it in a DC8, pretty impressive, Departed RW13 2 days later in a typhoon.
@surferdude444446 жыл бұрын
Back in the late 90s, I got to sit on jump seat in the cockpit of a Cathay Pacific 747 during a night landing. The captain said you just follow the strobes on top of the buildings to the checkerboard. When the checkerboard filled up the windscreen, turn right. Runway 13 was right there. They made it look easy. I miss Kai Tak, but it was small. No way it could handle the volume of traffic that it's replacement, Chep Lak Kok handles.
@JamesWeatherly6 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching. Follow us on twitter @jtwpilot
@worldbestpilot6 жыл бұрын
Thanks for this brilliant contribution. Was lucky enough to have had five landings as a passenger - of course on the right side. Later I tried it on my PC and after numerous attempts it finally worked - what a great feeling !!
@GlennBeltz3 жыл бұрын
One of the best explanations of this airport I have seen. Thank you!
@dedmaroz93357 жыл бұрын
What a surreal experience it was to be a passenger flying into Kai Tak. I felt as though I could pull the laundry hanging to dry on apartment balconies; we were so close! Kudos to you and other pilots for providing safe and magical travel experiences. Love your vid ;)
@JamesWeatherly7 жыл бұрын
+ded maroz thanks for the nice comment. You really had to be there, to realize how close you came to those apartment buildings. Glad you enjoyed the video thanks for watching. James
@tbamagic4 жыл бұрын
Flew in there dozens of times. Woo Hoo!
@graemewilliams13084 жыл бұрын
Me too yeehaha ! Joe Banana's ....Seamans Mission, Nathan Road.....
@DLAU28864 жыл бұрын
The cruise ship terminal is located on the old runway now. In the future when it’s safe to travel by cruise ship again after the Coronavirus outbreak is contained, you may visit HK again by cruise ship and it will bring you straight to the old Kai Tak runway!
@lulujaan4u4 жыл бұрын
Danny Lau HK is in my wishlist. Hopefully, can visit one day..
@speedbirdconcorde0012 жыл бұрын
A 300m section of the original runway still remains intact (with markings), beside the cruise terminal. I'm glad to have walked on it (fortunately the gate was open!)
@dynasty00196 жыл бұрын
My father was a flight attendant for China Airlines from the late 70's to the late 90's. He knew the pilots as well as several crew members of the China Airlines flight that made the splash into Victoria Harbor. As for the captain, well lets just say management was not happy that a brand new $200 million dollar 747 was trashed after only being in service for three months.
@JamesWeatherly6 жыл бұрын
Great story. The 747 looked like it was very new. I was in HKG when it happened.
@dynasty00196 жыл бұрын
It must have been pretty surreal for you seeing a 747 bobbing up and down in the waves. Yea China Airlines was not the best role model for safety back then, I think the Nagoya crash that happened a year after the Hong Kong overrun and the similar crash in Taoyuan couple of years later are one of the main reasons my dad decided not to fly anymore and move the family to the States.
@JamesWeatherly6 жыл бұрын
Thanks again for your "first person" feedback. Keep watching and follow us on twitter @jtwpilot 😃
@robertmitchell21424 жыл бұрын
My father flew for Flying Tigers and has landed at this airport many times in 747 100/200 and DC-8's.
@brucewayne36023 жыл бұрын
Dad as definitely a hero !!!
@lucluc95416 жыл бұрын
My first trip to the far Est by 1990 was Hong Kong for buisness i was 33 and nobody told me how was Kai Tak landing so i thought the plane was crashing down the building at first It was an amazing experience for me ! (a french Kai Tak airport fan )
@sofjanmustopoh72327 жыл бұрын
Thank you for the video It is very hard for general public to understand how HARD it was to land in Kai Tak airport I remember landing in early 90's in the eve of typhoon It was hairy as passenger I can't imagine how the pilot handle it Arrived several times in kai tak in 80's n 90's Always amazed you can look into the apartment window and see what they have for dinner 😀 Landed in new airport several times since New airport is an order of magnitude easier I think 😀 Just come back from hongkong last week
@JamesWeatherly7 жыл бұрын
Obviously you have been into Kai Tak with the comment -"Always amazed you can look into the apartment window and see what they have for dinner" Thanks James
@sofjanmustopoh72327 жыл бұрын
James Weatherly only on the right hand side of the airplane Once I was on the left hand side. The view was disappointing 😀
@JamesWeatherly7 жыл бұрын
Correct. All the apartment buildings were on the right side during the final right turn. Thanks for the comment. James
@JamesWeatherly4 жыл бұрын
My new remastered HD version of "The High Price of Freedom" is available for you to enjoy - kzbin.info/www/bejne/fauzZ2uljLWAa7c
@ydl68323 жыл бұрын
I just want to ask why not landing on the other side of the runway where there is no mountainous terrain?
@Ghostrider-714 жыл бұрын
My mother and step father lived in HK from 1984 until 1996. I flew into Kai Tak quite often. Mostly landing at night after traveling from Narita (Tokyo) and Detroit or NYC. Incredible bank just before landing, seeing people in their homes below.
@brucewayne36023 жыл бұрын
had to see it to believe ... bordering in the realm of "unreal" !!!
@georgemallory797 Жыл бұрын
Had no idea it closed that long ago. Wow, 25 years already.
@bobgriffith18102 жыл бұрын
Did it many times, we used to joke you could see Kojacks head on the apartment tv on non laundry day during the right turn
@samuesoeilyoriy65814 жыл бұрын
hong kong is great country dispite protest still safe great time to vist
@vijaipaul60562 жыл бұрын
I flew Cathay a few times in the eighties and nineties. Always amazed me how the pilots could make those super difficult landings. It was always scary to see the high-rise buildings right next to the wing as one approached the Kai Tak runway. Always kept my fingers crossed. 😀. Nice comments.
@thomasm19642 жыл бұрын
Even scarier to live underneath the flight path! As the son of a soldier, I used to live in Osborn Barracks on Waterloo Road (just in front of the bottom left of the blue circle at 03:27 ). I could see the checkrboard from the barracks and could walk to Kai Tak in 20 minutes, even allowing for crossing all roads and dodging the traffic. It got to the point where I could tell, without looking up, the airline, the type of aircraft and the engines mounted on the aircraft. Flights were that frewuent. as well as the engines sounding different one model from another, the way different airlines flew the approach meant that (at the time) I could differentiate between airlines which used the same type of engine! And, no, it wasn't something I consciously tried to learn. I also lived in what was then Lyemun Barracks on the eastern end of Hong Kong islnd. Aircraft would normally take off and head out over Lyemun Gap - the bit you can see at the end of the runway between the island and the mainland. So I got to see them coming and going! Twenty years before this period, I was born in Hong Kong. I travelled there in utero on a Bristol Britannia (the largest ircraft allowed to land there at the time) and travelled back to the UK prior to my Dad being posted in Germany and Cyprus multiple times on another Bristol Britannia three years later. The sight of that beast late at night under the floodlights of Kai Tak airport in 1967 when I was just three years old is something I have never forgotten. Those were the days, of course, when you walked out onto the apron to board. It's odd to think that I may have looked up and actually seen Mr. Weatherly flying overhead. Oh yes: and that enclosed area on the land side of the airport ... it stank from all the raw sewage that poured into the water there. You could smell it from inside the aircraft as it finished its run along the runway.
@oldmategio7 жыл бұрын
Great video! A legendary approach. A friend of mine had worked as a cathay pacific's captain wayback in the 90's and he Said It was always a hair-raising landing !! Thanks for the upload
@JamesWeatherly7 жыл бұрын
Your friend was right! Keep watching. James
@emmataylor92983 жыл бұрын
Thank you for sharing that. I would have been on one of those planes. Thank you for keeping us safe.
@jperry77P6 жыл бұрын
I flew the Delta MD11 into Kai Tak. I took the last flight in 1996. It was an interesting approach for sure. The most challenging was doing it at night with some weather. It could be hard to pick the runway out with all the other city lights. Great fun.
@JamesWeatherly6 жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing. Enjoy and keep watching.
@FrankWings6 жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing!!
@JamesWeatherly6 жыл бұрын
You are welcome. I post 10 times a day on twitter @jtwpilot
@alexlo77086 жыл бұрын
This Kai Tak made airplanes swam like a carp fish over HK sky those days.
@AirplaneFan-ps3fx7 жыл бұрын
Great Time Kai Tak
@JamesWeatherly7 жыл бұрын
Thanks! Keep watching and listening. You can follow me on twitter @jtwpilot Thanks James
@FearGod12329 күн бұрын
Thank you very much !
@eatsee93667 жыл бұрын
kai tak was unique, unmistakable and unforgettable, though a bit unforgivable to pilots when cross winds blow
@JamesWeatherly7 жыл бұрын
Very true !! I made lots of landings there in the 747 and none were relaxing. Check out more of my 747 videos at kzbin.info/aero/PLHWhYW-XLnzCdETqRqFcXQiaeHV_4j0yh James Weatherly
@londonlondonuk33466 жыл бұрын
Hi 👋 yes we went to Hong Kong 🇭🇰 in December 1996 just for Chris Packham took over we had a great time in Hong Kong 🇭🇰🌏✈️🛬🛫👍👍😁😁 & keep up the good work MR 🍺🍺🍺🍺
@richardfenner60962 жыл бұрын
Very well. I was lucky enough to be in the jump seat of a Cathay 747 a couple of times and with that mass, it was pretty exciting....
@Kevin_7477 жыл бұрын
Nice video James. I only did it in the DC8, by the time I transitioned to the 74 the place was closed. Many memories of trying to be better each time I did the IGS 13. I think they should keep the checkerboards painted for nostalgia purposes. Hello from an Orion Air shipmate.
@JamesWeatherly7 жыл бұрын
Great to hear from you Kevin. Hope all is well. A few years back I took a new FO out to see the checkerboard up close. It was very faded and barely visible. Thanks for the nice comment. James PS - Don't forget to join my family of subscribers that way I can give advance notice about my next videos. www.jtweatherly.com/join-our-family-of-subcribers/
@ehab54854 жыл бұрын
Why at this time the planes didn't land from the other side of the runway to avoid accidents ?
@JamesWeatherly4 жыл бұрын
The wind very rarely allowed for landing in the opposite direction
@solaDooD6 жыл бұрын
yeah - the memories:)) and that china airlines 744 hitting the drink - i was actually on that same plane a couple years prior on a hop to taipei - midnight departure (already 2 hours late due to engine problems they said) - we finally board for the hour long trip - 30 mins into the flight, a huge bang and sudden nose pitch up around 40k ft - plane then went into freefall - no doubt the plane stalled after whatever it hit (or whatever lol) - and China Airlines had such a bad reputation for safety - my friend and i pretty much said "see you in the next life". The decent was rapid and literally within a few minutes we were around 15k ft - then a few minutes later, we landed at taipei. I said to my travel colleague - "not flying with that lot again" - so he booked another ticket for my return home (sydney) on Cathay. Then on future trips into HK, I saw that overshot runway incident on the news - i tell ya, i was NOT surprised hahahaha - because i remember that night the weather was raining (perhaps typhoon?)...and the pilot decided to land anyway?? So in other words the incident could have been avoided - and knowing the taiwanese as somewhat negligent safety wise in lots of areas, my last trip to taipei was when i decided enough was enough after experiencing an earthquake of around 6 on the richter - being on the top floor of an office building - again around 1 am - the shock of that leaving a mental scar for a few years of not wanting to walk inside another tall building......like i eventually got over the issue years later.... but still:)) As soon as the quake stopped - construction workers digging out a subway literally just went straight back to work lol. Thats when it dawned on me Taiwan was living on borrowed time....and so i never returned. Future trips just had me do my work in HK instead - though the checker board was always a thrill, especially if u got a window seat peering into peoples apts etc on the way round that hard right Uturn almost - hahahaha - but mind you the direction of the runway did change directions and i always wondered why the CB approach stayed as compared to the less eventful harbour side approach.....probably weather might have determined which way to arrive, or depart. tnx for sharing the experience:)
@JamesWeatherly6 жыл бұрын
Awesome share. I remember the incident with China Airlines. They lost an engine with the autopilot on and then the airplane lost control and "fell out of the sky". en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Airlines_Flight_006 Not a fun ride for you. James
@solaDooD6 жыл бұрын
no not that incident - mine happened after that one (1990/1?) - and i think they purposely kept it hushed - the plane was a 744 which was the only one in their fleet at the time ( a new plane) - my incident was on the HK to Taipei leg. That one to LA I only found about years later and again i wasnt surprised lol
@Scottsteaux636 жыл бұрын
It was a 747, doofus. There is no such plane as a 744.
@JamesWeatherly6 жыл бұрын
FYI...The type rating designation for the B747-400 is B744. I have type ratings for both the B747 and B744.
@cccc99116 жыл бұрын
Scott Amundsen who's the doofus? Do your research son!
@svpst15 жыл бұрын
I flew into this airport in 1964 but we landed on 31 and as I looked out the window I pulled my feet up thinking they were going to get wet, because all you saw was water until the wheels hit the ground. But there was a lot of talk about that landing on 13.
@samuesoeilyoriy65816 жыл бұрын
star of the sea
@Stiggy7717 жыл бұрын
This is so cool
@JamesWeatherly7 жыл бұрын
Thanks so much Rahul. Check out more videos at kzbin.info/aero/PLHWhYW-XLnzACyhw7vmCMwJj0pbORgxPO Enjoy and thanks for your comment. James
@monkeywrench29406 жыл бұрын
I loved Kai Tak, the airport that we have now is fantastic, but doesn't have that vibe when you are landing
@JamesWeatherly6 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching
@gunner4q6 жыл бұрын
the thrill is gone! or was it just danger...
@gunner4q6 жыл бұрын
dream is to visit hong kong...
@JamesWeatherly6 жыл бұрын
Great place to visit.
@JamesWeatherly6 жыл бұрын
If are interested in Hong Kong, check out kzbin.info/www/bejne/ioSvp5WOoqqIZrM
@lesmar2342 жыл бұрын
Awesome video! Thanks for sharing.
@frankcates33222 жыл бұрын
It is a bit amazing they could get a 747 into there. I doubt an A380 could have done it.
@lkfwong6 жыл бұрын
Great video. Reminds me of the many great landings into Kai Tak when I was a kid, mainly on Northwest Airlines. JFK > NRT > HKG. What airline did you fly for?
@JamesWeatherly6 жыл бұрын
KLM B747-400. Thanks for watching. Follow us on twitter @jtwpilot
@OLGMC7 жыл бұрын
First time seeing approach lighting placed on top of buildings 😅
@JamesWeatherly7 жыл бұрын
Yes that is strange. The Canarsie approach at JFK has a similar setup with "lead-in" lights on top of a hotel. Thanks for the good observations. James
@johnny89147 жыл бұрын
In 1997 I went from Sydney to Europe I went through Kai Tak with Cathy Pacific
@JamesWeatherly7 жыл бұрын
I was flying there in 1991 with KLM. Saw lots of Cathy Pacific planes doing the approach. Thanks for the comment. James
@tyreekmurillo45245 жыл бұрын
i was born literally about two weeks before kai tak closed down. i’m sad that i’ll never get to experience a ride or fly an approach into such a spectacular airport. oh well, guess i gotta stick to microsoft flight simulator approaches.
@HowieHobbit7 жыл бұрын
Hi James, I just came across this video and loved the old photos. I was JUST old enough to remember flying into Kai Tak twice as a child, and now that I'm older and love playing flight simulators, this has got to be one of my favourite landings! Thank you for sharing the photos. Would love to hear more about your experiences with the old Kai Tak though! And any tips for flying into it on my sim please? =P
@JamesWeatherly7 жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoyed the video! Others have asked about flying the sim into Kai Tak. I may try to do a video on that in 2018. Thanks for the suggestion. James.
@JamesWeatherly7 жыл бұрын
I just landed from a trip. Took a quick look at your video from the checkerboard turn to touchdown. Did not look too bad. Next week I will try to watch the whole thing. Nice job. We will talk next week. James
@AirplaneFan-ps3fx7 жыл бұрын
Howie Hobbit You have Kai Tak Flytampa?
@AirplaneFan-ps3fx7 жыл бұрын
Great Airporr
@wodnala5 жыл бұрын
My memory of landing there in 1968 was that the approach path was the mirror image of this 'checkerboard' approach - i.e. our plane (a DC8 perhaps) banked steeply left immediately before landing. The pilots hit reverse thrust while the plane was still airborne, and the plane dropped like a stone. When we hit I thought we would see the undercarriage appear through the top of the wings, it was that hard.
@spensert49333 жыл бұрын
If I hear a southern accent from a pilot I know I am in good hands. Not sure why. :)
@margaretvassallo50153 жыл бұрын
If I hear an Australian accent I feel safe …loved flying into this airport.
@Kevin_747 Жыл бұрын
The creator of this video is a very sharp individual. I worked with him at two different airlines 20 years apart. I flew into Kai Tak several times in the 90's. Always a challenge and a thrill.
@vishyoutubevideos6 жыл бұрын
what if you couldn't see the checkerboard due to fog/rain etc?
@JamesWeatherly6 жыл бұрын
Without the checkerboard in sight, we would execute a missed approach and go-around.
@vishyoutubevideos6 жыл бұрын
great video!
@danta31774 жыл бұрын
They literaly blew the tail of 747 because it blocked the runway after failed to land. 🤣🤣 quite fun fact
@bobboberson20244 жыл бұрын
Why didn't they land the other way?
@speedbirdconcorde0012 жыл бұрын
Because of winds. Planes always takeoff and land in headwind, and the wind was blowing towards the north (hence land towards the south, runway 13). Also, if they miss the approach on the other side, well they have to climb out and perform hard left turn. Total 15mins for a full go-around
@bobboberson20242 жыл бұрын
@@speedbirdconcorde001 Very true. Safer into the wind. At LAX they land with the wind after midnight. Noise abatement.
@luisortega49916 жыл бұрын
Thank you for the video. It's great! I have often wondered what happened with night approaches... was the checkboard lit? And in fog or poor visibility conditions? Thank you!
@JamesWeatherly6 жыл бұрын
+Luis Ortega, you had to acquire the checkerboard visually at night time or foggy weather. You could not proceed beyond the checkerboard without visual contact with the airport. Keep watching. Thanks James
@humayunkhan44104 жыл бұрын
I have fond memories of Kai Tak
@llongdong6 жыл бұрын
That there.........is THAT THERE!
@fredmoore86617 жыл бұрын
Yahoooo! BTDT!
@JamesWeatherly7 жыл бұрын
Fred..learned a new one BTDT - Been There Done That. Thanks for the comment and keep watching. James.
@JRJunior8624 Жыл бұрын
I still don't understand it, wouldn't they see the checkerboard as soon as they came around the mountain on hdg 088? how did they use the checkerboard ?
@Big_Sierra2 ай бұрын
You fly straight towards it, then a combination of visual identification of the field and runway lights guide you through a right-hand turn to the runway.
@tvstealer6 жыл бұрын
Why don't they just land from the other direction and not do any of this?
@JamesWeatherly6 жыл бұрын
The normal wind direction favored the IGS.
@tyreekmurillo45245 жыл бұрын
TVStealer depends on the wind direction.
@markg68604 жыл бұрын
I landed on RWY 31 ... i.e. from the other direction ... one time. It depends on wind direction of course and being surrounded by mountains ... the so-called "Nine Dragons" ("Gau Lung" >>> Kowloon), RWY 13 was the most-used approach.
@Tampa01234567896 жыл бұрын
Great video thanks for sharing
@JamesWeatherly6 жыл бұрын
You are welcome. Keep watching.
@banchnotok6 жыл бұрын
So many queens
@ColinInBangkok6 жыл бұрын
Great to see those ol' CX L-1011s too. *Nearly* as comfortable as a Queen to fly.
@JamesWeatherly6 жыл бұрын
Loved riding in the L-1011 cockpit. Almost as big as my living room!
@johnmcameron18116 жыл бұрын
Bin there done dat ;-)
@themoke33967 жыл бұрын
The new airport on Lantau is much safer. But Id pay double to land at Tai Kak 13. My generation missed out on this experience.
@JamesWeatherly7 жыл бұрын
+the moke You're right I have flown into both of them, new airport at Lantau does not compare to the old one at Kai Tak
@ellonysman7 жыл бұрын
So whats the replacement there now?
@JamesWeatherly7 жыл бұрын
They built a new airport at Lantau on reclaimed land. Good question. James. More info at en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_International_Airport
@lovesick13512 жыл бұрын
How to get the background music? .. it sound beautiful
@LosKeyboards-7 жыл бұрын
why not landing from the other side?
@JamesWeatherly7 жыл бұрын
That is an excellent question. The wind always seemed to favor runway 13 but there was an approach to runway 31 (the other side). I never landed on runway 31. Thanks and keep watching! James
@FrankWings6 жыл бұрын
The reason was that runway 31 was not a suitable runway for departure because of obstacles in front of the runway so close, that only runway 13 was available at that airport.
@JFrazer43032 жыл бұрын
I wonder why they didn't keep it open for regional liners and smaller aircraft. Put a local ground transit station & car parking lot near it.
@tyreekmurillo45242 ай бұрын
probably too much congestion with the new chak lep kok airport
@gwats195774 жыл бұрын
I flew into Hong Kong on this approach in 1991 on UAL on my way to meet my wife...
@brucewayne36023 жыл бұрын
incredibly familiar for me 3 years earlier !!!
@howardsix97085 жыл бұрын
flewinto kai tak on a britannia in the 60's ............spooky.............wow
@ulaygyi49272 жыл бұрын
Remember 1991 visit and 2010 transit
@errorsofmodernism7331 Жыл бұрын
It was closed in 2010, you landed at the new airport
@firststatetate4 жыл бұрын
Yes! Nice musical intro. What is it?
@RellyOhBoy3 жыл бұрын
I can the GS antenna to the left of the checkerboard, Where is the localizer antenna? Also were there lead in lights to the runway centerline?
@speedbirdconcorde0012 жыл бұрын
Yup, there were lead-in lights. All advertising lights in the vicinity must remain steady - only aviation lights were allowed to flash. The concrete pedestal where the IGS antenna once stood (it was removed in 1998) is still there, though not many people think much of it.
@RGF563 жыл бұрын
What does IGS stand for ?
@thomashenderson42302 жыл бұрын
Instrument Guidance System = IGS
@speedbirdconcorde0012 жыл бұрын
It's basically an offset Instrument Landing System (ILS) and only guides planes to Checkerboard Hill, not to the runway. As such a 47 deg turn was required
@williamcll7 жыл бұрын
1."Kei duck" would be a better pronunciation if spoken in Cantonese 2. The hill is called signal Hill. 3. The airport has now rebuilt as a seaport, both civilian and military use. With the airspace around lifted a lot of old 60s/70s buildings are also rebuilt into more modern apartment blocks
@JamesWeatherly7 жыл бұрын
Thanks for your comment
@mattthegamerhongkong69486 жыл бұрын
"Kai Ducg". There is not quite of a "k" going on at the end of the word.
@arsenalroo4 жыл бұрын
Texan?
@patrickkelly50095 жыл бұрын
Pronounced Kai' - Tack Kai Tak
@Jay18Jay5 жыл бұрын
I want to have some drinks with you on an island.
@Thanasis_Koligliatis2 жыл бұрын
Why didn't they land from the other side? There are no mountains from the sea side.
@simplelifelost2 жыл бұрын
There was 1 runway. You have to take off and land travelling the same direction and the takeoff from the other direction meant that they had to offload payload to be lighter to outclimb the hills. But they still did it if the wind was strong enough.
@Thanasis_Koligliatis2 жыл бұрын
@@simplelifelost Thank you for answering, but I still don't understand why they didn't land from the sea. They can take off anyway they want. But why they have to do everything in only one direction?
@simplelifelost2 жыл бұрын
@@Thanasis_KoligliatisBecause planes taking off will be face to face with planes landing. That’s ok if there aren’t many because they can be spaced apart. But there were a lot. They can fit more arrivals and departures on the runway if they’re all going the same direction.
@Thanasis_Koligliatis2 жыл бұрын
@@simplelifelost OK, now I understand it. Thank you for explaining and, also, for your patience
@JFrazer43032 жыл бұрын
@@Thanasis_Koligliatis aborting a close-miss landing from the sea is just like an initial climb-out, with only a little extra distance before the hills.