Checkerboard Approach Old HKG Video

[Prince of Dzun]

Lamentable to see an old friend in such pitiful condition. The Hongkong government is flush with cash so why can't they preserve this piece of aviation history??

Prince of Dzun.

[Load Toad]

Because they really don't give a shit about local history & are incompetent at best these days. Everything they do is a half arsed job, poorly thought out and considered.

[Dan Winterland]

There was a thread on the FH forum a while back trying to drum up enough support for volunteers to go up with there with cans of red and white paint and give it a touch up for nostalgia's sake. It would have to have been done at night to escape the attention of the ''Cannots". No idea what happened to the attempt.

[AGNES]

Many years ago, the then Northwest Airlines made a video on the IGS approach for pilot training. The procedures were explained by a now retired HK Tower Superviser. Did any former NWA pilots still get a copy of the video that could share with us?

[forget]

Through the windscreen here;

YouTube - Cockpit Video Landing Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport

.. and good compilation, complete with 633 theme;

YouTube - Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport (1925 - 1998)

[JW411]

What you really need is a video of the old NDB approach from Cheung Cheu to Stonecutters and then the Chequerboard before the IGS came along and made it easy!

[AGNES]

Perhaps you missed this thread.

http://www.pprune.org/fragrant-harbo...ak-1964-a.html

[JW411]

Thanks for that; I think I have seen the video before a long time ago but it is still wonderful. I also love the CAVOK weather. I don't remember too much of that when I went to Kai Tak. I also loved seeing the old simulator technology.

The introduction of the IGS cut down the turn on to finals by about 40 degrees so it made life much easier.

Incidentally, we used to do crew-training at weekends (usually on a Saturday afternoon) when Kai Tak was relatively quiet, and we used to do "harbour circuits".

In other words, take-off on 13 and then turn immediately right before the island, fly down the harbour, Stonecutters, Chequerboard then touch and go. It saved a lot of time and was quite scenic.

Happy Daze.

[India Four Two]

I assume that the vertical red and white tower above the Chequerboard is the glideslope antenna. Where was the localizer antenna?

I flew into Kai Tak many times during the 80s and 90s and always tried to get a right-side window seat to watch the 13 approach. I never got tired of it. In early 1998, I was travelling to Hong Kong from Tokyo on a CX 777 and I realized that this would be my last flight into Kai Tak. So after flashing my business card and PPL, I was invited to the flight deck by a very pleasant Captain.

The approach was even more spectacular from the cockpit. I'm glad I got the opportunity to see it.

A little bit of thread drift. The Captain and First Officer were both Brits and I immediately detected an excellent relationship and minimal "power distance". The Captain was the handling pilot and so the FO gave me the safety briefing, including : "In case Pete here, stuffs it up and we end up in the harbour, your life jacket is under your seat."

After landing, we were taxying to the terminal, watching the next arrival, a 747, come round the corner and make a spectacular bounce on landing. The Captain said "Another fine arrival by China Airlines" and the FO turned around and said to me "You know you really have to work at it to bounce a 747!"

[twochai]

What you really need is a video of the old NDB approach from Cheung Cheu to Stonecutters and then the Chequerboard before the IGS came along and made it easy!

You got it, JW411.

In 1970 a Stonecutters was my first introduction to Kai Tak - at night in a thunderstorm, of course!

[1960school12ctung]

The NDB approach passover Cheung Chau

Hello,

while most of the talks were about the final checkerboard episode, can anyone recall the landing approach over the airspace of Cheung Chau island prior to the Stonecutter island NDB.

I used to watch, everyday in the 1950s and 60s, the deafening jetliners flew over the CC NDB Station in distant, came down homing at my house and passing over it at extreme low level with the landing gear down seemingly for a touch-down before they sped away.

Here is the aerial view of the CC NDB station: Cheung Chau Meteorological Station | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

Can anyone share your experience of this leg of flight?

Thanks

1960school12ctung

[Speedbird48]

Harbour circuits

I recall sitting up on the Peak watching a Cathay gentleman doing several circuits inside the harbour in a Convair 880. Quite spectacular and great to watch.

Then there was the shorter management type from BA who managed to get both inboard engines in a 707-436, suspend himself, give himself a Bo******** in the mirror, reinstate him self and fly out again!!! The engineers words on touch down were, "you got number 3, Oh SH** you got number two as well"!!!

Those were the days, so long gone.

Speedbird 48

[Dan Winterland]

"You know you really have to work at it to bounce a 747!"

I didn't!

[Offchocks]

I was 17 when my aviation career started at Kai Tak in 1968, VR-HFW from the Aero Club and my instructor was Hal D, a lot of CX gents will remember him. Left hand circuits onto 13 with the checkerboard being base. Years later I was landing on 13 again in 74s and 76s, all good fun!
I'll probably hang up the flying jacket later this year and hope I can arrange my last flight to HKG, even though it will be to Chek Lap Kok ........ it will kind of complete the circle.

[Feather #3]

With all the mention of CC to SC, we're forgetting Green Island!

If you couldn't see Green Island after leaving CC, you arguably didn't have the vis to get to Stonecutters; go around?

G'day


Reverie:

Harbour circuits;

1. Bruce G [aka 006.5] doing a harbour circuit at 0700, PA in one hand giving the pax a brief, pausing to nudge the thrust occasionally, cheroot between the fingers of the right hand, flying with the left. PA back in the cradle, quick draw on the cheroot then into the ashtray for the turn over Stonecutters. Aah, the GOD's!!

2. Happily in the bar of the Mariner's Club drinking with my Boss [an HKG trainer.] Another Capt storms in and walks up to him, frothing at the mouth; "You did my training and told me to turn at the Seiko watch sign on the Island!! We did and barely got around the corner!!" "Um, it's the Casio sign!" "Bugga, I knew it was one of these Jap watches!!"

[toffeez]

[Dan Winterland]

It does need a touch up!

I gather The Hong kong Historic Aircraft Association have had some space allocated to create an aviation museum at Kai Tak. Repainting the checkerboard will be a good advert.

[Fareastdriver]

There is an actual moving video somewhere. It was shown on HK TV when they moved to Chep Lap Kok. One of them was a super shot of a United Airlines 747 being frantically cross controlled before taking a dozen landings off the tyres.

[pigboat]

What you really need is a video of the old NDB approach from Cheung Cheu to Stonecutters and then the Chequerboard before the IGS came along and made it easy!

JW411, first a disclaimer. I have never done the CC approach into Kai Tak in anger. Years ago I did it in the Hawker sim at Flight Safety with an instructor who had done many of them, in all kinds of weather. He'd set up a typhoon with the viz on limits, and talked me through the visual portion after breaking out of cloud and following the visual flight path. Just after touchdown, an errant gust from the typhoon blew the aircraft 90 degrees to the runway and we trundled off into the drink. The instructor gave me a whack on the back of the head and said "You dumb shit, you've just closed the only non communist airport in SE Asia that's above limits."

[CV880]

India Four Two, the localiser antenna was down at the sports field level in the park below the checker board just beyond the open air swimming pools near Inverness Road.