The Jumbo and Kai Tak.

[mapguy]

I didn't want to derail the A380 thread with this so I started a new one. The most impressive airport (from an aviation enthusiast's point of view) is the, now closed, Kai Tak airport in Hong Kong. This airport had such a tricky approach that airlines would only allow captains with fighter jet experience to land there. Basically the approach is aim for a mountian, turn at the last minute. Then skim over top of the city on final. Over shoot the runway and your in the harbor! Passengers could literally look out their window into other people's apartments!

Naturally there have been some interesting pics:

http://www.mcnees.org/images/travel/img_trv_ap/img_kai_tak_airport.jpg

http://www.mcnees.org/images/travel/img_trv_ap/trav_kai_tak_chapman.jpg

http://www.mcnees.org/images/travel/img_trv_ap/ua-744-3.JPG

http://www.mcnees.org/images/travel/img_trv_ap/trav_kai_tak_ho_small.jpg

[chop456]

Video: http://hardyheinlin.de/avi/B747_VHHH_Ldg.avi
:eek:

[Ankf00]

jeebus!! :eek:
that'd be fun to ride :D

[Jervis Tetch 1]

I flew into Hong Kong in 1996 and yes, it was quite a startling view especially from you seat in 3rd class! :eek:

I loved Hong Kong, but I'm not sure I'd want to take that approach again.

[oddlycalm]

Now that's what I'm talkin' about, if you overshoot your turn onto final just crab hard then hit the brakes hard when you smack the ground and use the rudder to keep the plane mostly on the blacktop..... :rofl: Nuthin' to it, jus' like ploppin a Piper Cub onto a grass field back home. :gomer:

Bet they got to price out a full set of rubber after that little beauty.

oc

[RichK]

That video makes my hands sweat.

[Michaelhatesfans]

Video: http://hardyheinlin.de/avi/B747_VHHH_Ldg.avi
:eek:
Alitalia - that explains how they thought that rallying would be a good marketing tool for them. Colin McRae would have been proud of that powerslide.

[JoeBob]

Phillipsburg, St. Maarten is another good one. Not a difficult approach, but I'm not so sure I'd sunbathe there:

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/743086/M/

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/718048/M/

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/686219/M/

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/652213/M/

[racer2c]

Phillipsburg, St. Maarten is another good one. Not a difficult approach, but I'm not so sure I'd sunbathe there:

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/743086/M/

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/718048/M/

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/686219/M/

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/652213/M/

I remember those pics from awhile ago. Someone posted that they were fake. Wouldn't the jet wash bounce those beach bathers around a bit? Or at least some sand?

[KLang]

I remember those pics from awhile ago. Someone posted that they were fake. Wouldn't the jet wash bounce those beach bathers around a bit? Or at least some sand?

Was there a few years ago, the pics look real and yes the sand does get blown around a bit.

[JoeBob]

I remember those pics from awhile ago. Someone posted that they were fake. Wouldn't the jet wash bounce those beach bathers around a bit? Or at least some sand?

Go to airliners.net and do a search for Philipsburg (it is in the Netherlands Antilles), or just click on "More" under "Taken At" in one of the links. There are literally hundreds of photos just like those - from all angles. It isn't a very big airport: http://www.airliners.net/open.file/644158/M/

:eek:

[racer2c]

Pretty amazing!

http://photos.airliners.net/60c2c0c313cd3428e8235486f13c0d44/41fea8a4/middle/3/6/1/736163.jpg

[Dr. Corkski]

Naturally there have been some interesting pics:

http://www.mcnees.org/images/travel/img_trv_ap/img_kai_tak_airport.jpg

http://www.mcnees.org/images/travel/img_trv_ap/ua-744-3.JPGI have landed there 5-10 times, and everytime I remember how the plane was surrounded by buildings as it was getting ready to land. :thumbup: to the pilots .

Apparantly one of the things Kai Tak was used for after it was retired as an airport was a go kart course. :eek:

[Ozarkian]

I loved Hong Kong, but I'm not sure I'd want to take that approach again.

A good friend of ours, with a mild fear of flying, almost swore off air transportation after "flying through downtown," as she put it.

The approach to the new airport is much more dull.

[JoeBob]

Pretty amazing!

http://photos.airliners.net/60c2c0c313cd3428e8235486f13c0d44/41fea8a4/middle/3/6/1/736163.jpg

I think this is what r2c was linking to: http://www.airliners.net/open.file/736163/M/

[racer2c]

I think this is what r2c was linking to: http://www.airliners.net/open.file/736163/M/

Thanks JoeBob. Talk about a security risk in a post 9/11 world.

[Audi_A4]

Phillipsburg, St. Maarten is another good one. Not a difficult approach, but I'm not so sure I'd sunbathe there:

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/743086/M/

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/718048/M/

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/686219/M/

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/652213/M/


I was in St. Maarten last week and stayed in the yellow hotel in the back. http://www.mahobeach.com its a great place. It's really funny to watch the morons who stand about 40 feet bethind a 747 taking off. Literaly people get blown into the ocean from the jet blast. Sadly this will end as a new airport is under construction on the island and i doubt the end of the new runway will be right on the beach. The area is one of the best on the island, as the good casino and many nice restaurants are right there. Oddly enough the airplanes are quite fun to have nearby.

[Audi_A4]

I remember those pics from awhile ago. Someone posted that they were fake. Wouldn't the jet wash bounce those beach bathers around a bit? Or at least some sand?

nope those pics are real. The jet blast is only a problem when the big planes take off. there are probably about 8 or 10 of them and only when you are right behind the planes. I just came back from the island and wittnessed it first hand.

[devilmaster]

Apparantly one of the things Kai Tak was used for after it was retired as an airport was a go kart course. :eek:


The Karting Mall - a 100,000 square foot indoor track in the Departures level of Kai Tak

http://www.kcc.be/scrollPicts4htm/scrollPict03.jpg

http://www.kcc.be/scrollPicts4htm/scrollPict04.jpg

http://www.kcc.be/scrollPicts4htm/scrollPict11.jpg

http://www.kcc.be/scrollPicts4htm/scrollPict17.jpg

[mapguy]

How about this approach?

http://members.aon.at/slenz/graphics/COURCH3.jpg

Courchevel in France... :eek:

[racer2c]

Is that the entrance to some James Bond, evil villain lair? My god that's insane!

[devilmaster]

How about this approach?

{Image}

Courchevel in France... :eek:

That reminds me of the stories of the landing strips 'Air America' used to use in Laos and Thailand.....

One was a dirt strip, near the top of a mountain, with a curve in the middle.

[devilmaster]

back on track.....

http://www.webwerksdesign.com/images/landing.jpg

and a couple more videos:

http://www.sv.ntnu.no/psy/bjarne.fjeldsenden/Aviation/alitalia2.mpg

http://www.modellflugclub-kropp.de/video/747-kai-tak.mpeg

Steve

[devilmaster]

http://photos.airliners.net/2b1532d5a706a9cb6282c62065fff44d/41ffd22f/middle/6/8/1/149186.jpg

[oddlycalm]

That reminds me of the stories of the landing strips 'Air America' used to use in Laos and Thailand.....

One was a dirt strip, near the top of a mountain, with a curve in the middle. True, but the difference was the they were flying birds like Fairchild Peacemakers, Helio Couriers and later Helio Stallions for tactical. For supplies they Air America was running mostly C-123's and de Haviland C-7's with the occasional C-130 as opposed to 747's. It was certainly plenty hairy, but the cargo planes were setup for STOL (short takeoff & landing) operations.
Air America C-123, C-7 & C-130 in Laos (http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_348.shtml)
The tactical planes could use postage stamp fields. As I recall the takeoff roll in a fully loaded Stallion in military drag is around 150ft. with the Fairchild being a bit longer, and rollout on landing is less than 100ft. Imagine a big glider with a 750hp turbine engine and you've got the picture. A couple acre cow pasture is a perfectly adequete "airport" for these little lovelies.
Helio Stallion AU-24A (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/attack/a6/a6-42.htm)
Fairchild AU-23A (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/attack/a6/a6-41.htm)

Takeoff procedure owes more to champcar racing than it does conventional flying. Select full flaps, push the throttle to the wall, pull the nose up, hang it off the prop and clench posterior.... :D Climb out happens at what is referred to as a "high incidence angle" as shown here. As you can see, the wings area is nearly that of a Crapwagon.
STOL takeoff (http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/attack/a6/au23-2.jpg)

Officially, the military never actually adopted either aircraft formally, but there is a big pile of the Fairchilds and some Stallions mothballed in Tucson at Davis-Monthan AFB that I've seen first hand, and they didn't just sprout wings and fly there on their own.... ;)

oc

[Cam]

Typical! I fly into Hong Kong next week! It's boring HKG International tho.... DAMMIT! :rolleyes: