1958-06-27 — Page 4

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THE CHINA MÄIL, FRIDAY, JUNE 27, 1958.

HONGKONG WILL BE SEEING THESE FLYING GIANTS SOON

Comet IV

KAI Tak Airport which has been functioning dur ing the daylight hours only since the first air- craft landed there nearly 35 years ago, will take a big step forward when night operations begin less than a year from now,

But Kowloon residents who are in the path of aircraft flying over the Peninsula will not be disturbed too much because something like two- thirds of the aircraft using Hongkong will do so through Lyemun Gap.

Mr M. J. Muspratt-Williams, the Director of Civil Aviation told me it was expected that 64 per cent of the aircraft movements will approach and Icave Hongkong through Lyemun Pass.

It is difficult to forecast periods. between midnight

Douglas DC-8

Boeing 707

Douglas DC-70

FLYING ROUND THE CLOCK: THEY'LL BE REGULAR

THE KAI

TAK

STORY III

the

These radar posla, known proaches to the runway, operations

southeast is

out of this

that it will be affected by the

are practically another as Surveillance Radar, give which lights every alter- brought to a halt. Clouds pointing in another." the plot his approximate nate light around the per- at this height, though not At the present situation, the course for Hongkong over meter of the runway. affecting the runway, block new strip is well the next 200 miles. When The second is mid-way the approaches, and pilots bowl of hills, and it is unlikely within 50 miles of Hongkong down the runway, partly who do not know this area wind. "Anyway modern aircraft he is given a more accurate underground in case of acct- and its terrain are unable can land when the wind is blow

are either ing at 25 knots at right angles to course by Approach Rudar, dents. This station switches to land. They for Hongkong Airport, to on every other light. Thus diverted to other airports or the runway, or with a direet tall wind of 12 knots," M: Muspratt- land either through

Williams added.

the actual amount of night and 5 a.m., but nevertheless. Lemun Pass or from the By,

flying which will take place, the airport will remain open since it is expected that the and manned during the 24 majority of the scheduled hours when regular opera- services will operate by tians begin. day.

Northwest.

ALKA ZEN ALPINE MERE ZINTESA TASCARA SAN

Andrew Sloan

In the cockpit of an air- LEIKATAKANT Serious night fying craft there, are instrumento However, delayed sche- operations will not start with which the pilot can if one of the sub-stations is circle around the Colony dules, and additional sche- until the approach lighting, check if he on the correct put out of action for one until the weather clears. dules are likely to take place the radar posts and the course for a landing. At reason or another, tho ik night, together with Ground Control Approach the same time he is given pattern of lighting outlining cheaper excursion flights by equipment are all properly course and height approach the runway, will not be lost. the regional operators, calibrated. This will be in checks by precision radar

Pacific Airways, May next year. Cathay

known better Ground Hongkong Airways, Civil

Control Approach. Air Transport and Philip-

These instruments pine Air Lines.

effective by day or night.

Mr Muspratt-Williams ex- pects these airlines will prn vide cheaper excursion fares for night flights.

It may well be that the pattern of night flying will normally provide

*

88

With the fighting system and the approach landing aids it is expected that when are clouds descend as low as 600 feet, visibility will be two miles, with the clouds at night flying is the runway the runway, and the ap one. and a half miles.

The lighting system on 300 feet, visibility will be itself. When it opens. for normal daily schedules in proaches is similar to that of any other international further 600 September, a

From nirport. feet will be added.

Another point governing

Until

These minima are lower Channel than is possible at the quiet the extension, se aircraft Rock, 1,588 feet from the present airport and should considerably the will be allowed to land at end of the runway, there reduce night except ir. emergency, are seven variable intensity number of diversions in the

"lead in" lights,

future. In addition, the Safety is the keyword in

All serial pictures used in

this series were taken by China Mail Photographer Joseph S.L,

Nu from a helicopter but at Defcual se of the Mail odd Defence Secretary, Mr A, Todd and the Hongkong Auxillary Air Force.

these new landing systems, The landing lights along holding time of aircraft From 250 miles out, an air- the runway are powered by waiting for the weather to craft is spotted by radar two sub-stations. The first clear sufficiently for a let. posts situated on the high of these is above ground down, should also be cut.

the Northwest ap-

hills behind Kni Tak.

near

Now, when clouds des cend, to 800 feet, all flying

The new strip is much further away from the hills, and subsequently is much less affected by these fac tors. It points straight into Lyemun Pass which ig open all the way out to sen, with no hills blocking the approach.

rounding Kai Tait is again

д

Looking into the crystal ball, he said, "I'm only making guoss-but I think by 1000 the airport will be properly com- plated. When it is, we anti- dipale a 97 per cent usability on the single runway, which is higher than what we have on the existing two runways."

Taken in all, these are tre- mendous advances in Hongkong's aviction age, and us Mr R. Win- Civil Aviation sald at a recent ship, the Deputy Director of

luncheon meeting: -

will

"Hongkong

be proud

of her airport in 1000 when it

will be rated one of the' inest

in Southeast Asia,"

THE END

The "bowl" of hills sur-

certain seasons.

source of trouble during

We thank the Depart- The hills cause a great deal of ment of Civil Aviation, the and, as Mr Defence Secretary, and the turbulent winds Muspratt Williams pointed out: Hongkong Auxiliary Air "The up and down draughts can Force for their full co be quite treacherous ot times.

Some days you can see one wind operation and readiness in cock at the northwest approach supplying information for blowing in one direction, while this series.

VISITORS AT KAI TAK

•

WHEN Hongkong steps further Into the Jet-ago with its new airport in 1000, a number of giant new aircraft will be veen in the skies over the Colony. BOAU will be introducing their famous Comels on Far Eastern routek, PAA will bring the latest American Jets, the DC-8 and the Boeing 707, and number of other airlines who have ordered jets will put them on their Far Eastern routem,

Canadian Pacific Airlines will not be bringing pure-jete to ' the Colony for some line, but on the opening day of the hew airport they will bring in one of their new Britannia aircrafi.,

Japan Air Lines wlio recently opened their new flight, to Singapore with the latest DC-7C planes, will be running a regular service with these. They too will be adding `DC-8' to their rapidly growlag fleet,

BOAC expect to send the first of their Comet 1V jela to Hongkong around the middle of next year, and they will be running on the same roules as tho Britannias' now in servior, The Comet wili gradualty lake over and replace the Britanila,

The plus-600 mph four-engine Comel can take up to 00 passengers depending on seating arrangements, and has largo

·mait and freight holds,

The DC-8 and the Boeing 707, which have been ordered by a number of airlines, are structurally very similiar. Per- formance figures show Bite difference and up to now they lave proven very efficient aircraft,

There are two models of the Boeing 707. The first and Emailer model, the 120, has a wing span of nearly 131 feet, while the larger version the 320, boasia a span wides by 10 feet. The difference in length is practically the same-10 feet.

The cruising speeds of both is in the region of 000 mph. Their passenger toads, dependent on seating arrangementa, is nearly double that of present-day aircraft, varying between 110 to 15 passengers.

The wing span of the DC-8 is nearly 135 feet, but is á much shorter plane than the 707. It is in fact four test shorter than the smaller version of the 707, and nearly 14 feet shorter than the more advanoed model.

The DC-8 can take up to 141 passengers, and cruises ét, *695 mph.

The 707 and the DC-8 have rangen which are comfortably over 6,000 miles,

The DC-1C is one of the line of Douglas alreraft. Bines the war they have produced a line of safe and dependatile planes. The 70 is the modernised version of the · DÜ×89. • {} is slightly larger, and the latest conventences have been added for passenger comfort and safety. Japan Air Lines have four of these aircraft in service on Far Eastern routes. These will be calling at Hongkong regularly.

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THE OLD-AND THE NEW

THIS

THIS is Hongkong Airport (top) as it is in use Now and the new runway (below) as it appears in the first klages of construcilon. It

has taken almost two and a half years to complete, and will be open for dally

schedules La

early

September. Night operations will begin la May next year, I can easily be seen from the top photo why night' operations were forbidden. The airport is hemmed in by, a semi-cirçîn ́ ́of hills which provide a constant source of danger to low- Dying aircraft at right, During',some seasons, of the

year the p and down draughts created by `thera hiile add to the danger.

·Nearly 8,000'Teei luto Hung- ham Bay la woll out; of the range of the hills and | Ya mattets less likely to be affect- Led by the: winds. Further,

the approaches

not blooked by: hs, To the southeast, there is- Lyeman Pass, open all the way to -the -man; The Northwest-ap- proachés sover -- Kowloon Peninsula provide a relative- ly clear path only the run«