Old Hong Kong

[eucalyptus]

Hello All,
To settle an office argument, can anyone tell me if the checkerboards used for the approach to Kai Tak in Hong Kong, were ever advertising hoardings?
A colleague tells me the rule used to be "Turn right at the Coke sign", and also suggested there was a massive cigarette billboard too, so any clarification of this would be great.
many thanks,
PGSOZ

[Load Toad]

As you landed there was a sign on the right hand side just past the private flying school for Double Happiness cigarettes but on the checkerboard I can't recall seeing anything.

[Tiger_mate]

http://p.airliners.net/photos/middle/9/0/2/0906209.jpg
No Coca Cola but the building below the 747 ensures that you are close to God.:E

[Malcolm G O Payne]

As far as I remember there were no advertising signs in 1957. But maybe I didn't notice as I was more interested in finding Kai Tak in my Venom.Hello All,
To settle an office argument, can anyone tell me if the checkerboards used for the approach to Kai Tak in Hong Kong, were ever advertising hoardings?
A colleague tells me the rule used to be "Turn right at the Coke sign", and also suggested there was a massive cigarette billboard too, so any clarification of this would be great.
many thanks,
PGSOZ

[Feather #3]

The checkerboard itself was never adorned or embellished with advertising hoardings. However, various signs on both the Island and Kowloon were used as markers by crew.

To wit; sitting in the Mariner's Club one night and a Captain storms into the bar to find the Check Capt who qualified him into HKG having a beer. Strides up to him and starts abusing him about the sign he taught him to use as a turning point for r/w 13 on a harbour circuit. "I turned at the Citizen sign just like you told me and we could barely make it onto the runway!!" "Hmmm" says the CC, "I told you to turn at the Seiko sign." "S**t" says the Capt "I knew it was some watch company!!"

Survey later by the attendent audience expressed amazement that he could remotely turn in the radius if started from the Citizen sign. It was night, of course, so no photographers on the hill/s.

G'day ;)

[tinpis]

Ah.... the Mariners..... cheapest and coldest beer best views of the harbour sadly prolly all built out now?:(

[chris keeping]

I started flying at Kai Tak in 1970, and there was certainly no advertising on the checkerboard from that date untill it's closure. Before then, well I don't know, but very much doubt it. As an aside I hope that it is preserved by the government, since very little, if anything, of Kai Tak will exist in the not too distant future

[eucalyptus]

Hello all,
Thanks for responding to the question.
Sort of settled it, so thank you all kindly.
It certainly would be a pity to see the checkerboards disappear altogether, as they are a real piece of history, and it's unlikely any such approach will ever again be created for a modern airport.
All the best,
PGSOZ

[DH106]

It certainly would be a pity to see the checkerboards disappear altogether......
It certainly would !
A quick check on Google Earth revealed them still to be there, though faded. But I guess these images are a couple of years old - anyone know if they're still there?

[chris keeping]

yep, the checkerboard is still there, well it was last week when I went for lunch at the Hong Kong Aviation Club!