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RAF Kai Tak

1927 establishments in Hong Kong1993 disestablishments in Hong KongAirports in Hong KongMilitary installations closed in 1993Military installations established in 1927
Military of Hong Kong under British ruleRoyal Air Force stations in AsiaRoyal Air Force stations of World War II in AsiaRoyal Naval Air StationsRoyal Navy bases outside the United KingdomUse British English from October 2024World War II sites in Hong Kong
1950s Kai Tak Airport runway
1950s Kai Tak Airport runway

Royal Air Force Kai Tak or more commonly RAF Kai Tak is a former Royal Air Force station situated in Hong Kong, at Kai Tak Airport, Kowloon. It was established by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1927 and used for seaplanes. The RAF flight operated a few land based aircraft as well as having spare aircraft for naval units. It was also the location of HMS Nabcatcher, a Royal Navy Mobile Operational Naval Air Base, (MONAB) VIII, which was there between 1945 and 1947. At the start of April 1947, it was decommissioned and concurrently re-commissioned as HMS Flycatcher. At the end of December, HMS Flycatcher was officially decommissioned at Kai Tak, although the Royal Navy retained lodger rights. The lodging facilities ceased to operate following the official decommissioning of RAF Kai Tak on 30 June 1978, at which point all RAF units and responsibilities were transferred to RAF Sek Kong.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article RAF Kai Tak (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

RAF Kai Tak
Muk Lai Street, Kowloon Kowloon City (Kowloon City District)

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 22.328611111111 ° E 114.19416666667 °
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沐禮街 Muk Lai Street

Muk Lai Street
Kowloon, Kowloon City (Kowloon City District)
Hong Kong, China
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1950s Kai Tak Airport runway
1950s Kai Tak Airport runway
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Kai Tak Airport
Kai Tak Airport

Kai Tak Airport (IATA: HKG, ICAO: VHHH) was the international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. Officially known as Hong Kong International Airport from 1954 to 6 July 1998, it is often referred to as Hong Kong International Airport, Kai Tak, or simply Kai Tak and Kai Tak International Airport, to distinguish it from its successor, which may be referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport, built on reclaimed and levelled land around the islands of Chek Lap Kok and Lam Chau, 30 kilometres (19 mi) to the west.Because of the geography of the area positioning the airport with water on three sides of the runway, with Kowloon City's residential apartment complexes and 2000+ft mountains to the north-east of the airport, aircraft could not fly over the mountains and quickly drop in for a final. Instead, aircraft had to fly above Victoria Harbour and Kowloon City, passing north of Mong Kok's Bishop Hill. After passing Bishop Hill, pilots would see Checkerboard Hill with a large red and white checkerboard pattern. Once the pattern was sighted and identified, aircraft made a low-altitude (sub-600 ft) 47° right-hand turn, ending with a short final and touchdown. For pilots, this airport was technically demanding, as the approach could not be flown by aircraft instruments, but had to be flown visually because of the right-hand turn required. The History Channel program Most Extreme Airports ranked it as the 6th most dangerous airport in the world.The airport was home to Hong Kong's international carrier Cathay Pacific, as well as regional carrier Dragonair (now known as Cathay Dragon), freight airline Air Hong Kong and Hong Kong Airways. The airport was also home to the former RAF Kai Tak.

Kai Tak Development
Kai Tak Development

The Kai Tak Development (Chinese: 啟德發展計劃), abbreviated as "KTD" and formerly called South East Kowloon Development (東南九龍發展計劃), refers to the redevelopment of the former Kai Tak Airport site in Kai Tak, Kowloon, Hong Kong. After the airport relocated to Chek Lap Kok in 1998, the Hong Kong government planned for urban development on the old airport site. The plan calls for a multi-purpose sports complex, a metro park, the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, a hotel, a housing estate, and commercial and entertainment construction projects over an area of more than 328 hectares (810 acres). The plan also covered nearby development in areas including Ma Tau Wai, Kowloon City, San Po Kong, Kowloon Bay and Kwun Tong. The planned population is 86,000 people, accommodated in 30,000 housing units, including 13,000 constructed as part of public housing estates. The total gross floor area is over 14,400,000 square feet (1,340,000 m2) with over 110 hectares (270 acres) of open space. The total cost for the development is about HK$100 billion. After several years of planning and discussion, and the decision of a judicial review on Central and Wan Chai Reclamation, the Hong Kong government restarted KTD review and planning in 2004. The Executive Council passed the revised development plan and restarted the project. According to the development plan, the first stage projects finished in or before 2013. The second stage projects will be finished in or before 2016 and the final stage projects will be completed in or before 2021.