This is one of the most glorious airports in the history of flight. Everyone loves flying into Kai Tak on Flight Simulator. It's closest any of us will ever get these days. It perfectly encapsulated the spirit of Hong Kong: pioneering, adventurous, laissez-faire, free-- and not necessarily easy to survive. :)
Plus best civil plane EVER, it saved the lives of many people in extreme situations like Air China that stall over the pacific ocean or the one over indonesia losing engines and fly by with one of four and blinded by volcanic gas
Depending on country... If you're an Expat working in another country (India, China, Africa, whatever), you get paid tons, however, pilots in the western world make very basic wages.
kicsimoe, sensible question. A plane has to land into a headwind which provides the most resistance, enabling better control of the plane at slow speeds. Depending on the direction of the wind, it should be possible to land from the other direction. However Kai Tak's prevailing directions forced for usage for Runway 13 Approach most of the times.
I was one of the stewardess operating this flight..The captain did a very good job..gust wind is really unavoidable...Passengers did't even know what was happening until safety personnel came onboard to check coz one of the engine hit the tarmack and drag few metres..Other than that..we were all ok onboard....thanks to the captain for his skill and professionalism..Kai Tak being one of the most dangerous airport approach on earth,,thank God it is no longer in service..
That is amazing indeed... The fact that the captain has the skills to land under those conditions in any manner is worthy of my applause. Trying to land a 747 in MS Flight Simulator is hard; I'd hate (actually, I'd love) to try it in real life.
Mate of mine used to fly into kai tak regularly as flight crew in the days of BOAC. He likened it to flying down the local High Street between the buildings and taking a right at the next set of traffic lights. He said he used to strap himself into a seat and shut the window blinds cos it scared the shit out of him every time they had to fly in there.
If you want a very tecnical, cool and smooth landing all you need is the nine dragons airport, an experienced pilot and the Jurassic Park theme. Unfortunately it was closed for obvious reasons but it really was unique, especially the low height flying amongst the buildings.
"Ever flown the Kai Tak approach?" "No, I... I never have. I've heard about it though." "Well, just think of this 747 as a giant, sluggish Dash 8, and you're giving free haircuts. You'll do fine. Once we're stopped, I'll grab a pair of pliers and peel your fingers off the yoke."
+tessamersus Actually, Kai Tak Airport was closed in 1998. The new Hong Kong Int'l Airport - called Chep Lap Kok - was opened in July 1998 on an island outside the city. You can find more info here: www.hongkongairport.com/eng/index.html
Peter Hughes I'm sorry, but I cannot resist commenting on "chep lap kok". Say that out loud. Use in a sentence: "The captain enjoyed chep lap kok with the stewardess." Hee
What you don't see in the video is that there were winds blowing from the side of the runway, the pilot turned the plane at a particular angle to counteract the force pushing from the side. If he tried to land the plane parallel like you said, the crosswind might blow the plane out of its landing path.
Brilliant landing. Fortunately, with the new British-built airport, pilots, crew and passengers no longer have to be stressed out with such landings. They must be happy that the UK did the right thing despite the noise prevalent at the time about building the new airport.
It was not a "brilliant" landing. The landing gear probably required inspection and possibly major repair. The aircraft was poorly landed in a "crab" which would place enormous side stress on the landing gear. He should have lowered the left wing into the wind at about 100 feet and kept the nose straight with the rudder. That's the proper method to make a safe cross wind landing. I have 8000 hours in the Boeing 747. This pilot needs additional training.
Back when Boeing was known for producing safe first class passenger aircraft. No doors falling off here, or the plane of it own accord nose diving into the ground or the sea.
Well I did, and I am always entertained by it. If I could rate it in a Top 10 list of airports I'd like to fly into, closed or opened, Kai Tak would be sitting there at #1.
Not sure that it's actually a crosswind. He's not crabbing until very late final. I think it's more a side slip to loose height quickly. Very skilled flying indeed 👏🏼👍🏼
most exciting airport, so sad when it closed... the thrill of watching the planes fly over Sam Shui Po seconds before landing. Thank You Kai Tak for the pleasure of knowing you.
+Rick Feng Hong Kong is also famous for typhoons. There is Philippines on the left and Taiwan on the right as natural barrier from the Pacific, but if it misses both and charge straight through, it's quite insane, people and roofs can get blown away.
Dangerous. Should have gone for a missed approach and landed from the other end. May look good but the best pilots know that a manoeuvre like that is highly risky and he should not have been in that position in the first place. Remember you have 200+ souls on board. ALWAYS be conservative with the risks.
I'm fairly sure a trained commercial pilot will never consciously make a decision that could put the passengers at risk at all. Pilots land in crosswind conditions all the time, and when a plane lands slightly sideways it is called "side slipping". It is a fairly normal procedure and in this case, it was not dangerous at all.
Nothing Dangerous here. That was a very typical landing and approach for Kai Tak back in the day. There aren't many big airports that have such awkward approaches anymore, but such airports certainly made flying exciting back in those days.
those sharp turns was required becoz of the unique geography of the airport (it was located at the centre of a city, surround by mountains), and the changing wind. The pilot did an excellent job.
Dear Chomel, In the 11 years I flew with Japan Airlines on 747's, we didn't take Cabin Attendants on Freighter flights. As you can easily see, this is a 747-200 freighter in JAL Super Logistics inventory. It is good aviating skills though.
@TheLn14 No mistakes. The plane had to be crabbed out to adjust for the crosswinds. At 1:10 they probably encountered a strong gust of wind and the pilot had to recrab the plane to keep it on track with the runway while flying into the wind. It's a standard procedure.
Rest in piece Kai tak international airport. You will be missed. Fun fact: I actually live in Hong Kong 🇭🇰. I love living in Hong Kong. The 747 was my favourite plane.
Yes, you said it. Landing at the old airport was very emotional especially now watching these videos. The Lantau landings are so boring. But it was great to actually land right in Kowloon! I miss it!
Gave me shivers. Awesome. My local airport is England's highest, we all say the word crosswind was invented for LBA as there is never a day without it, you need guts of steel to land here!
WOW!!! what a great high crosswind landing thats why there the pros and we let the flying to them. Awesome !!! the 747 is an incredible plane it can almost fly itself.
