In Captain Gordon Vette's outstanding book
Impact Erebus there are several pages (191 to 196) devoted to describing the day circling approach to RWY 13 at Kai Tak . The author's reason for including this passage was to counter any suggestion that the captain of the ill- fated Air New Zealand DC10 that crashed into Mount Erebus, Jim Collins, did not fly the aircraft he commanded with the greatest proficiency. Captain Collins had flown the day circling approach to RWY 13 at Kai Tak many times.
Page 191 - "The harbour circling approach to RWY 13 provides a good example of a pilot and his crew operating at peak proficiency, exploiting to the utmost their training, the aircraft's instruments and, most significantly, their response to visual stimuli."
ditto . .. . "Should this type of manoeuvring be attempted over most cities of the world, the crew would find themselves in prison. At Hong Kong, it was the only way that the airport could be used, in certain weather conditions."
This thread is not the place to open yet another discussion of the circumstances surrounding the crash of TE901 in November 1979, save
to say that for everyone interested in the subject who has not listened to the one hour seventeen minute program where an interview, towards the end, with Captain Vette and Justice Peter Mahon, who headed the commission of enquiry into the accident, it should be essential viewing. More than that, and more broadly, it is relevant for all who maintain an active and informed interest in air safety investigation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyWvOI_MD-Q
Captain Vette lives today in retirement in New Zealand. Following a major stroke he is severely handicapped, having lost his speech, among other faculties. He has found however that painting is aiding a partial recovery.