This video was captured on-board B737 at Jun 1997 during landing Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport, ranked 6th most dangerous airport in the world. It was captured by myself with a Sony V8 camcorder and it was digitized at 2016.
At the 2nd of october 1995 I was on a KLM 747-400 that tried to land there for 3 times during a typhoon. The 1st one was something, everyone shouting with fear, i was so sick that my fear was zero, the only thing i wanted was that thing on the ground. The plane tried 2 times then it went to Taiwain where we rested for 1 hour, after that we returned to HK and tried 1 more time. After that we flew to Bangkok. I arrived in HK in the day after, with perfect weather conditions. Thanks for the video.
This video was filmed on 24th June 1997; exactly six days before Hong Kong was handed over from the United Kingdom to China. Already under Chinese rule, on 6th July 1998, Kai Tak was shut down, and Chek Lap Kok opened to the public for operations, followed by a massive expansion of Chek Lap Kok on August 2016.
A week before Kai Tak airport was closed, I had the privilege of sitting in the cockpit jump-seat on a Dragonair flight from Beijing to Hong Kong experiencing this unique landing on a clear evening in 1997. I remember feeling like the luckiest man in the world. Thanks to my friend Jonas from Sweden who was the copilot and who kindly invited me in to join him and the captain in the cockpit 30 min before the landing 🙌
Thanks for this Stanley, this brings back great memories of when I was in the RAF there in '76-'78! I lived in Sunderland Road then, and in the video at around the 5mins mark as the aircraft flies over Waterloo Road, you can see what is now Sunderland court/Hereford Road. I was there for a visit in 2014, ah happy days!
absolutely stunning ... had to experience the reality to fully appreciate this video ... hats of to the thousands of pilots over the decades, heroes all ... landed there 7 times creating a lifetime of memories - a uniquely wonderful airport !!!
I landed here in 1995 and it was dark so couldn't see any of the approach, but the only thing I remember was the brakes and thrust reversers kicking in as soon as the plane landed. Thanks for posting!
This is the most evocative film of the KT landing experience I've seen yet, especially given the quality of the cameras available at the time. Thanks for uploading.
Was fortunate enough to have gone in and out of Kai Tak many times, and more than a few from the jump seat!....late night departures to Europe, late afternoon / early evening arrivals from Aust. etc Very fortunate indeed!
I like the view from the left.. you get a nice feel for the speed of the turn. And of course that checkerboard. And then a nice gradual reveal of the city
I remember flying in to the old Kai Tak Airport back in 1983 on a Pan Am B747. The first attempt to land was too short and had to be aborted. Made it the 2nd attempt. I was told it was quite normal? I do remember the tall buildings were quite close to the runway.
Yes, great memories. I´ve landed more than 500 times, first with Lufthansa-Cargo, later with Lufthansa passenger planes. It was not easy to land, but actually not very challenging. I missed this old Airport. Kai Tak is retired in 1998, I´m retired in 2016.
So incredible! Classic footage and an amazing view from your perspective!! Flown into the new modern airport several times, albeit much more sedate landing and take off there! I can only watch videos of this experience and life in Hong Kong pre-handover. Miss the place! One of my favourite places in the world, but last went in December 2016. Different place now I think. Many thanks for sharing!
If I recall correctly, runway 13 actually had different approaches. The IGS approach as seen here with a 45 degree turn at the end (which is shown here), and an NDB approach which was even crazier with a 90 degree turn at the end. Add windshear, high temperatures and a relatively short runway. Just crazy.
I remember this airport vividly as a child in the early 80s. The remember the terminal being right by the runway and watching the planes zoom by as they landed.
Remember landing there in 1981 & 1994. On both occasions I recall the plane banking sharply to the right on approach and landing on the right wheel with the left slamming to the runway just as reverse thrust was being engaged.
A very busy airport. At 7:18, I saw the wheels of an aircraft just after took off. As there was only one runway in this small airport, all aircrafts taking off or landing will use this runway in the same direction. Thus, this aircraft needed to turn away from the runway immediately after landing to make way for other aircrafts taking off. Landing - taking off - landing - taking off --- of aircrafts, one by one. This shows how noisy this airport, and how busy the control tower was back then. This airport held all my childhood air travel memories!
I can locate my cottage home named 朱古仔新村 (near Parc Oasis phase B today 又一居第二期 ) from the route the plane flied through : the checkerboard hill, the buildings such as the Taoist temple 省善真堂, the Rutland Quadrant Children's Playground. These landmark signs serve as guiding points to find the exact position of my past home. Thanks.
@@adamp.3739 i think Pius knows dude......its pretty obvious that this isnt any typical landing as most airports you wouldnt want 45 degrees of bank to line up with a runway, as it would be a go around. but here you cant land normal because of the terrain. Airliner companies dont recommend anything past 30 degree bank for a safe passenger flight.
Hey Stanley , I really love this precious footage of the old airport. I am doing a audio/visaul performance soon about Hong Kong Lost Architecture. It's a non-ptofit event which takes part in an Unviersity. May I ask if I could use the footages of your video in the perforamce. I would ofc credit you. Thanks a lot, look forward to your reply :D Best, Marta
Kai Tak wasn't really dangerous, especially once aircraft became more advanced. It just wasn't routine either, and led to operational limitations at times.
Went to Honkers in 89 went back 6 years ago will NEVER go back it’s changed way to much for me even our tour guide said it’s really gone bad he was saying then it was heading backwards sadly
I was 18 on my way from Ireland to New-Zealand to be with my love of all time ( @ least that's what you think at the time 😆which at 18 means anywhere from 1 week to 2hrs in my case ) wow seems like yesterday. Would live to see it again ! I'm Irish living in liverpool and single hatching a crazy plan to just get on a plane and have another adventure , if your female ( very important 😄 and you fancy an adventure who knows where- let me know , screw you covid 😆, c
It is Better to Take Landing and Takeoff Videos in NAIA Before it Closes in 3 to 5 Years as its Souvenir As This Did in Kai Tak Airport Landing Video which was 1 Year Before it Closes Because of New Hong Kong Airport Because NAIA will be Closed due to New Airport Being Currently Built-in Bulacan, Which will be the Busiest Airport in the World and Asia.
Here's a couple....... Kai tak landings 1971 ... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-e1DU_sxsX-Y.html ............ - and checkerboard hill from the ground.... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jFGVMEOqZxI.html
Actually its a good film but it is amazing how almost any smart phone, something so small compared to the camcorder you used takes such good video. We are spoiled now.
I flew the CX 1011 (hydraulic) sim and the stored skyline visuals were fantastic, the only realism missing that I noticed was the lack of negative G and the HKG welcoming smell from the "nullah" (turd processing plant) during the taxi to parking
Description is largely unhelpful because it just says B737. Based on the time period and the big front of the cowling you can see at 1:45 and how far it protrudes at 3:00 I would say most likely a -300 or -500. OP said it was on ‘Southern China Airways’ so probably China Southern Airlines which has had 36 -300 series and 12 -500 series and no -400s. So. Either a 737-300 or a 737-500.
@@kray97 but this approach wasn't from the dangerous direction. You can clearly see this aircraft going adjacent to the marker on the hillside. No steep turn involved. Quite boring really. This one shows the dangerous approach - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lx3Ccs5tKfw.html
@@Blade1310 No it’s the right turn approach,, the mountain marker is on port side.. aircraft levels off just over inner marker,, if your on right side window seat you can see faces on the TV sets in the apt buildings during the turn.. the other approach is straight in/out with bay at the end .. lived there for 4 years and flew out of there under every weather pattern,, you have to experience it to appreciate it
I landed there a couple of times in 1987. Banking at about 40 degrees around a skyscraper (looking in the windows) to land shortly thereafter was quite exhilarating. A couple of weeks earlier two people who worked for my firm helped to rescue people from a flight from the UK that they were on, when the plane ran off the end of the runway into the sea. Yeah, just a normal airport. See Blade 1301 comment below also.
