Checkered board approach at old kai tak.

What's so special about this?
is it because of this
http://images1.jetphotos.net/images/....jpg.38927.jpg

i would have loved fly into that airport....too bad those days are over now! :(

Just go take a look at the pictures from Hong Kong, no other approach today can compare to the checkerboard. It was one of the most impressive displays of a pilot's skill in aviation that ever existed. Its just sad Kai Tak is no longer, it would have been one of the airports I'd plan to visit.

would love to have had a right side window for that.....

had a jumpseat ride into Kai Tak in 93 on Qantas, to bad it was monsoon season and raining like mad...what made it so special is that Kai Tak was in the heart of Kowloon and surrounded by mountains and tall buildings within a short distance of the 13 end of the airport. it was spectacular to say the least! only other airport i know that is remotely close to it now is Quito, Ecuador.

http://www.cpavirtual.org/Files/Videos/BIGKaiTak.wmv
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... &q=kai+tak

have a look at these animations.

these are the old approach plates also

http://www.cpavirtual.org/images/31ILS_fullpage.jpg

http://www.cpavirtual.org/images/13IGS_fullpage.jpg

http://www.cpavirtual.org/images/kai%20 ... drome1.jpg

IGS 13 was the hardest and most spectacular...

I think it was rated as the all time most difficult approach by FlightSafety, imaging doing that with 15 knots of cross wind. There is a video of a KL 747 doing a cross wind landing on the net somewhere.

I flew jump seat for that approach twice a week in the early 90’s, it was really neat to watch from the cockpit of a 747. One time was a one engine out, max gross weight landing, I think the copilot almost peed in his pants. I love that airport, you are in down town as you walk out of the terminal.

There are MANY videos of some of the craziest crosswind landing I've ever seen taking place over there. It's really incredible.