27 Years Later: Remembering Kai Tak’s Legendary Approach That Pushed Pilots to the Limit

Kai Tak was an innovative approach to Hong Kong that led to 24 years of fantastic spotting of heavy jet airliners.

Hong Kong’s former International Airport was nestled in a mountainous region of the city. First built in the 1920s, the airport was mainly used to train aviators. The infamous airport was only four nautical miles from a ridge of mountains with peaks over 2000ft. During the early days of flight, this wasn’t a big deal, as most small radial or piston-powered aircraft could turn final within a small radius.

Conditions and Heavy Jets Made Kai Tak a One-Trick Pony

After World War II, the airport slowly rose in prominence to become the international airport for the city. In the 1950s, Kai Tak featured two runways: runway 13/31 and a shorter runway 07/25. Runway 13 was extended to accommodate larger aircraft.

As jet aircraft became the norm, the airport faced a dilemma. Jets flew at higher speeds, even on approach. The surrounding terrain was too high for a typical straight-in approach to runway 13 during instrument conditions. Even non-precision approaches would still provide inadequate terrain clearance.

Even after extending the runway to over 11,000 feet long, Kai Tak would never realize its full potential. It simply could not sustain the region’s explosive population growth.

Along Comes an Innovative Solution in the 1970s

IGS and DME for Precision Approaches

In 1974, the airport installed an Instrument Guidance System.  It was a creative way to provide instrument guidance for approaches.  Aircraft would fly a precision approach to a checkerboard built on the side of a hill.  At a predetermined DME (and once the checkerboard was in sight), the aircraft would then make a 90-degree turn to final.  At night, approach lighting would guide the way. Check out these two videos by JTWPilot and AirBoyd detailing the famous approach.

A Plethora of Sketchy Landings

While this made instrument approaches possible, they were still incredibly challenging at Hong Kong’s KaiTak.  All pilots had to fly the approach to standards in the simulator to become certified to fly it in real life. The prevailing winds were typically a still cross-wind.  Every pilot had to bring their A-game. Some didn’t, and their poor approaches remain etched in the collective memory of avgeeks and memorialized in viral YouTube videos.

The Party Couldn’t Last Forever

By the late 1980s, it was becoming clear that Kai Tak would need to be replaced. The infrastructure and footprint were too small for such a large city that relied heavily on air transportation. 

The challenging approach and land-locked location limited options for further expansion. Kai Tak closed on 6 July 1998, and with it, the world-famous checkerboard approach became a memory. The new Chep Lap Kok International Airport opened a day later. It remains Hong Kong’s International Airport to this day.

If you are looking for other videos, be sure to search YouTube. AirBoyd has several other great videos from that era.