Twelve years ago last week, Hong Kong’s legendary Kai Tak Aiport closed. The infamous runway 13 ran jutted into the harbor, and to help navigate tricky landings, pilots used a red and white checkerboard etched into a nearby mountain as their cue to turn 47 degrees in the final approach.
No wonder pilots flying into Kai Tak needed 20 years of international flight experience.
To many in Hong Kong, even those who never stepped foot on a plane, Kai Tak also played an important role. Because Hong Kong is so crowded and housing so cramped–and loud–students used to gather in the aiport to study at night.
My best friend lived near Kai Tak, so when I had early flights, I stayed with her and walked to the airport. We were often the welcoming committee for friends and acquaintances flying through or moving to Hong Kong to look for a job.
My mom and her family traveled through Kai Tai in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, but I suspect little had changed there by the time I first flew into the airport in 1990. There was nothing 21st century about Kai Tak, but that was part of its charm.
I flew out of Kai Tak for the last time in late February 1998. Four months later, it closed for good.
good old kaitak! i just found some pictures online which i posted today and they have stirred up a wealth of nostalgia and comment ;).
the planes flew over our houses and school on coming in to land. when shopping down lion rock road in kowloon city, as well as the deafening noise, you could see the faces peering out of the windows it was that close. i last flew from kaitak in 96 – chep lap kok airport although user friendly, comfortable and clean it somehow is lacking a ‘soul’ <3
Vanessa, we must have been thinking along the same lines yesterday, for right after I posted this, I went onto Facebook and saw your breathtaking photos. I knew people could see into apartments from the plane, but never realized people from the street could see into the plane!! But then again, everyone flying into Kai Tak had their faces glued to the window. Yes, I imagine Chep Lap Kok has nothing on that.
Wow, I flew out of Kai Tak in 1990 when we moved to the U.S. I remembered waiting for my parents (with my sister and aunt) when they came back from the States after buying our house there. One of my parents’ friends used to live in the flight path, and planes would fly right over the building…and things would rattle. Ah the memories…
That’s wild because I first went to HK in 1990! Our paths may have crossed, either at Kai Tak or in the air! Your parents’ friends must have felt like they lived through a small earthquake every few minutes, although I guess people become so used to it they no longer realize what’s going on.