Blasts from the Past

Watching this video of a 747 landing* at Kai Tak airport, I'm reminded of my first trip to Hong Kong in 1997.

To land, pilots had to make a sharp 47 degree turn at 500 feet, swooping over Kowloon rooftops in the final 3,000 feet to the runway. Crosswinds made the final approach that much more hairy.

Landing at Chek Lap Kok is far easier and safer, though not without peril, should you come in during a typhoon,** for example.

* .wmv file; 557 kb

** .avi file; 9.09 Mb

← Older Posts · 早前 | →