XN000022-1992-04-19 — Page 3

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SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 1992

"SHOOTING" HONG KONG IN THE AIR

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IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS IT WAS A HERCULEAN JOB TO DRAW MAPS FOR A PLACE. IT MIGHT TAKE YEARS, IF NOT ONE'S LIFETIME.

NOW, WITH THE HELP OF THE ROYAL HONG KONG AUXILIARY AIR FORCE (RHKAAF), THE JOB CAN BE REALISED IN A COUPLE OF DAYS.

WHAT IS NEEDED IS A CLEAR. BLUE SKY.

WHAT'S MORE? A SET OF ADVANCED AERIAL CAMERA SYSTEM FOR TAKING VERTICAL OVERLAPPING PHOTOGRAPHS.

THE JOB ITSELF DOES NOT ATTRACT MUCH PUBLIC ATTENTION BUT THE FRUIT IT BEARS IS ESSENTIAL FOR FUTURE GROWTH OF HONG KONG, PARTICULARLY WHEN THE PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITY IS NOW FULL STEAM AHEAD.

HARRIS,

FOR SENIOR PILOT OF THE RHKAAF, FLIGHT LIEUTENANT CERI FLYING OFFICERS FROM THE SURVEY AND MAPPING OFFICE (SMO) TO CONDUCT AERIAL SURVEY WORK IS JUST AS MEANINGFUL AS RISKING HIS LIFE IN SAVING THOSE ON THE BRINK OF THE GRAVE IN HECTIC SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS.

A SURVEY FLIGHT NORMALLY TAKES OFF FROM THE BASE AT KAI TAK AIRPORT AT 10 AM AND RETURNS AROUND 3 PM.

FOR LIEUTENANT HARRIS, THIS IS THE BEST TIME OF THE SHOOTING AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS FOR MAP-MAKING AND TOWN PLANNING.

.

DAY FOR

WORK,

"IF A GROUND TEAM TAKES A YEAR FOR A PIECE OF MAP-SURVEY WE CAN CAPTURE GROUND INFORMATION IN A COUPLE OF DAYS, LIEUTENANT HARRIS SAID.

TWO OVERALL FLIGHT SURVEYS ONE IN APRIL AND THE OTHER IN OCTOBER ARE NEEDED EVERY YEAR TO KEEP UP WITH THE CHANGING FACES OF THE TERRITORY.

THE MISSION OF LIEUTENANT HARRIS IS TO PILOT HIS AIRCRAFT ALONG A RIGID SURVEY PATH.

HE IS CANDID; IT'S A LONG HARD SLOG.

IT

LINE

CENT

IS IMPORTANT FOR HIM TO MAINTAIN A STRAIGHT AND LEVEL ROUTE FOR EACH PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN SHOULD BE AT LEAST 60 PER OVERLAPPING THE NEXT ONE IN ORDER TO OBTAIN THREE-DIMENSIONAL COVERAGE FOR ACCURATE MEASUREMENT,

GOVERNMENT LAND SURVEYOR OF SMO RONNIE CHAN AGREES.

WITH A TOTAL WEIGHT OF 150 KILOGRAMMES AND A PRICE TAG OF MILLION, MR CHAN HAS TO MAKE SURE THAT HIS EQUIPMENT IS RIGHT THERE BESIDE HIM WHEN HE REACHES FOR THE SKY.

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