Extreme Airports // 47HONG KONG KAI TAK
a go-around and the impact effect that
could have on terrain clearance.
The missed approach procedure,
which we followed if we couldn’t see the
runway, was to climb to 4,500ft. As we
passed over the middle marker we had
to turn onto 135o – the same heading as
the runway – and fly towards the Tathong
Point VOR beacon. The aeronautical
charts for Kai Tak carried a thought-
provoking warning: “Missed approach
is mandatory by MM if visual flight is not
achieved by this point. In carrying out
the missed approach procedure, the
right turn must be made at the MM as
an early or late turn will result in loss of
terrain clearance.”
The authorities painted a huge set
of orange and white squares, which
were lit at night, on an almost vertical
section of a nearby mountain, which
helped us when the vis was better. If we
made an approach in visual conditions,
Checkerboard Hill was the point we flew
towards until we started our low-level
turn. We ‘aimed’ for the checkerboard,
much as we would fly towards the
end of the runway during a straight-in
approach. If the checkerboard was in
front of us and we were descending at a
constant rate, we were in the slot. It was
noticeable that on those rare blue-sky
days, some Cathay Pacific pilots deviated
a little left of the IGS as they neared the
checkerboard. That enabled them to
make a slightly wider and gentler turn
on to the runway heading – it wasn’t
standard procedure, but they were very
familiar with the approach and what they
could do to make things easier.Final turn
That turn onto the runway heading was
what brought the sightseers out on the
ground – and earned Kai Tak its notoriety.
There were – and still are – very few places
where large jets have to make a manoeuvre
like that, at such low level. The turn to final
was similar to the John F Kennedy [NewYork, USA] Canarsie approaches in some
respects, although those don’t have the
headache of the high terrain.
It was something none of us – except
the Cathay pilots – did on a regular basis.
If we were visual at the middle marker,
we broke off the IGS and started to
turn towards the runway. There were
lead-in lights on the ground to guide us,
but mostly it was done by eye. Strong
crosswinds made it much more difficult.
Not only did they make it more difficult
to judge the turn, but by then we were
almost between the tower blocks and
turbulence could become a significant
factor. An entry in the Kai Tak section of
the Hong Kong Aeronautical Information
Publication (AIP) offered some salient
words: “Pilots are to be prepared for
immediate power changes due to
unpredicted turbulence and downdrafts
on approach to both runways (particularly
RWY 13 built-up area and Yei Yue Mun
gap area), and are advised to keep one
hand on the throttle at all times during
approach. Whenever the reported
surface wind is greater than 15kts use a
higher approach speed than that normally
used and be prepared for an overshoot.
Wind shear and turbulence should
particularly be expected over the NW
approach area to the RWY when the wind
is strong and blowing from between the
NW and ENE in association with a tropical
cyclone or a strong winter monsoon.”
There was plenty of opportunity to
make a mess of it, and countless videos
on YouTube attest to just how challenging
lining up on that so brief straight-in final
could be. They mostly occurred during
the IGS turn and landing phases, and
many were attributable to the weather. In
November 1993, a China Airlines 747-400
overran the runway during a storm and
ended up in Kowloon Bay – resulting in
injuries to 23 of the 396 people on board.ABOVE: Just
moments
from landing,
Cathay Pacific
Airbus A340-313
B-HXB passes
the terminal.
(AirTeamImages.
com / Andrew
Hunt)
LEFT: If you sat
on the right side
of an inbound
aircraft, it would
seem almost as if
you could reach
into the high-rise
apartments.
(BravoNovember
/ Aviation Image
Network)LEFT: A Cathay
Pacific Airbus
A330 passes the
checkerboard
during the last few
months of Kai Tak.
By then, buildings
surrounded the
approach path and
what little open
space remained
was in demand
for property
development.
(AirTeamImages.
com /Ralf
Meyermann)42-49_Kai Tak.indd 47 11/05/2018 12:29