1
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1982
NEW HEIGHT RESTRICTIONS FOR AIRCRAFT SAFETY
*****
A NUMBER OF FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES TO EXISTING LEGISLATION GOVERNING AIRPORT HEIGHT RESTRICTIONS AND SOME ADDITIONS TO THE SCHEDULE OF EXEMPTED BUILDINGS ARE INCLUDED IN A NEW ORDER PUBLISHED IN THE GOVERNMENT GAZETTE TODAY (FRIDAY).
KNOWN AS THE HONG KONG AIRPORT (CONTROL OF OBSTRUCTIONS) (CONSOLIDATION) ORDER 1982, THE NEW ORDER PROVIDES FOR, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE INTRODUCTION OF HEIGHT RESTRICTIONS TO CERTAIN AREAS NOT PREVIOUSLY SUBJECT TO CONTROLS, IN ACCORDANCE WITH CURRENT AIR TRAFFIC PROCEDURES- THE ADOPTION OF MORE PRECISE METRIC EQUIVALENTS OF AIRPORT HEIGHT RESTRICTIONS ORIGINALLY EXPRESSED IN IMPERIAL UNITS AND THE RELAXATION OF HEIGHT RESTRICTIONS IN THE FORMER RAF KAI TAK AREA.
A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED TODAY THAT THE RESTRICTIONS ON HEIGHTS OF STRUCTURES WERE FOR THE SAFETY OF AIRCRAFT MOVEMENT IN THE VICINITY OF THE AIRPORT AND ITS APPROACHES AND FOR THE EFFECTIVE USE OF ASSOCIATED RADIO-NAVIGATIONAL AIDS.
+THE AIRPORT HEIGHT LIMITS ARE BROADLY BASED ON SAFETY STANDARDS LAID DOWN BY THE INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANISATION, BUT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT LOCAL TOPOGRAPHY AND EXISTING BUILDINGS AS WELL AS THE LEVEL OF PROTECTION REQUIRED FOR AIRCRAFT CARRYING OUT VARIOUS OPERATIONAL MANOEUVRES,+ HE SAID.
THESE SAFETY RESTRICTIONS ARE PROVIDED FOR IN THE HONG KONG AIRPORT (CONTROL OF OBSTRUCTIONS) ORDINANCE (CHAPTER 301), ENACTED IN 1957.
SINCE THEN, AND THE TWO SUBSEQUENT ORDERS COVERING NORTH POINT IN 1966 AND MA TAU KOK IN 1967, THERE HAVE BEEN
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE TERRITORY, IMPROVEMENTS IN TECHNICAL AIDS AND CHANGES TO APPROACH
PROCEDURES.
+THIS JUSTIFIES A REVISION OF THE AIRPORT HEIGHT RESTRICTIONS, RELAXING THEM IN SOME AREAS, WHILE BRINGING NEW AREAS UNDER CONTROL, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
REFERRING TO THE NEW AREAS OF HEIGHT RESTRICTIONS, HE POINTED OUT THAT THEY WERE ON SOME HILL TOPS ON HONG KONG ISLAND AND ON BEACON HILL, AS OVER-HEIGHT BUILDINGS IN THESE AREAS WOULD AFFECT RADAR PERFORMANCE, AND ON TSING YI AND STONECUTTERS ISLAND, AS THEY WERE IN THE LINE OF THE RUNWAY 13 MAIN APPROACH PATH.
+ IMPOSITION OF HEIGHT LIMITS IN THESE NEW AREAS IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE SAFETY OF AIRCRAFT, HE SAID.
AS FOR THE RELAXATION OF HEIGHT RESTRICTIONS OVER THE FORMER RAF KAI TAK AREA, THE SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE DIRECTOR OF CIVIL AVIATION HAD ADVISED THAT IT WAS NECESSARY TO RESTRICT ONLY THE IMMEDIATE APRON AREA TO 45.72 METRES ABOVE PRINCIPAL DATUM AND THAT THE AREA FURTHER AWAY FROM THE RUNWAY COULD BE RELAXED TO 51.5 METRES.
/+THE OLD