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Please note that this copy is

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NINEX I

AIRFIELDS AT HONG KONG

Preliminary Summary of Essential

Factors drawn up by the Airfield kission

There is only one existing airfield at Hong Kong. called Kaitak. It has two runways. No. 1, NW/SE,

It is

1500 yards, which is the only one used, and No. 2, ENE/WSW, 1600 yards, which cannot be used for landing from the East owing to hills. It lies in a horseshoe of hills with extremely bad approaches from the WWW clockwise round to SSE. It is just operable for the Dakota, type of aircraft, but even for them is unpleasant. It is quite out of the question to

It is capable of slight use it for four-engined aircraft.

extension at heavy cost, but that in no way affects the approaches and still will not improve the problem as regards heavy four-engined aircraft.

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Ping Shan, 23 miles 2. There are two other possibilities by road NW of Kowloon, and Deep Bay, 2 miles NW of Ping Shan. Ping Shan is the site which has been fully reported upon by Works, and preparations for the construction of which are far advanced. The essential differences between the two are

Deep Bay can make the better cost and time of construction, site, if the extra cost and extra delay can be accepted. The only way in which clear S. W. approaches can be obtained

Deep Bay is the only to any site is to cut away a hill. place where the topography lends itself to such a cut. is, perhaps, of interest to note that the C.-in-C. stated that he had himself in the first place suggested the removal of a hill at Deep Bay, but was told that it was impossible. It was, of course, impossible within the time period of six months which was apparently the time allowed on the date when the advice was given.

3.

It

Runway Lengths.. Meteorological reports give the lowest air density likely to prevail na 1003 millibars at 94°F. This requires a 12 increase on standard lengths, i.e.:~

Standard 2000 yards becomes 2240 yards

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2500

3000

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11

2800

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The

Prevailing winds are from NE to SW, or the reverse during the S monsoon. Records from the Royal Observatory at Kowloon show that for winds over 20 miles per hour Bust is the prevailing direction, but it seems to be generally agreed that the Kowloon observations are not strictly applicable to the Ping Shan aren and that winds from the NE tend to be recorded as E at Kowloon owing to th, high hills on the N and E of that place. hearing of the proposed runway at Ping Shan is about 24° true,

Probably there is little While at Deep Bay it is 750 true.

The Northern to choose between them as rogurus direction. approaches at Ping Shin are clear for about 8 miles, of which only about 8000 yards are in the new territories, the reminder over China.

Brully, the WNW approaches at Deep Bay are good for Sobo to 10,000 yards before coming to high hills. The Southern approches at Ping Shan are indifferent to bad, in that they go down. a villey between hills 1900' on the West and 1600' on the East, the site

In pretion this means about a itself being about 301 o.d.

70 funnel instead of 15o funnel for a 1: 50 approach.

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