(Hong Kong International Airport) was established in 1922 by Chinese businessmen Ho Kai and Au Tak, who formed a company known as the Kai Tak Investment company
, which attempted to reclaim land in Kowloon to be developed.
was originally a small grass landing field for the RAF
and numerous flying clubs and flight schools.Hong Kong, and with it, Kai Tak
, was occupied by the Japanese in 1941.In 1942, two concrete runways (7/25, and 13/31) were constructed using Allied POWs as slave laborers.After the war, the airport was returned to the hands of the British, and the Royal Air Force
In 1954, the plan to modernize Kai Tak
was released that included construction of a passenger terminal, which was completed in 1962.The original runways were replaced by a new 13/31 and was constructed on reclaimed land.13/31 remained the main runway until the closure of the airport.The runway was extended numerous times and the IGS for runway 13 was installed in 1974 to aid landing in adverse weather conditions.
Originally, the airport was "Far Enough" away from residential areas, but as the population of Kowloon grew, and the airport expanded, it was determined that it was too close to residential areas, and plans for its replacement began.On July 6, 1998, after 74 years of heart stopping landings, Kai Tak
was officially closed with the final departure: Cathay Pacific Flight 3340 departed runway 13.
In the following years, the airport was used for numerous purposes and was temporarily reactivated (Cargo Only) due to a software bug at Chek Lap Kok's cargo handling system.Since the closure, Kai Tak's
future has been a hot topic.
The installation of Kai Tak
is one of the more complex, though not difficult, installs that I have ever done.
The documentation for Kai Tak
is quite thorough, but in my opinion, is out of order.It begins with a set of charts for Kai Tak
including approach (Both runways), and two airport diagrams.
The scenery also contains many effects and AI features that enhance the realism and feel of Kai Tak
The Main Apron and terminal area of Kai Tak
was the original parking area at Kai Tak
during the passenger era, with the east and south aprons being added later.It is worth noting, that Kai Tak
only had eight parking spots with jetways despite the fact that it served dozens of heavies every day.
The rest of the main apron is filled with parking stands (which are populated by Boeing
747-300s when the Static Aircraft install option is selected) and light towers as well as ground servicing vehicles and passenger busses.No fewer than 15 static aircraft are parked on the Main apron and at the terminal painted in period liveries from United, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Malaysia, Chain, Korean, KLM, and Varig.
Even with AI disabled (in an effort to maximize performance) the hustle and bustle of Kai Tak
is still evident thanks to the static aircraft, moving vehicles, and the overcrowded nature of not only the city, but the airport as well.
The East Apron of Kai Tak
is home to HAECO Airplane Maintenance, overflow parking for airliners, the Kai Tak
cargo terminal, and the remains of China Airlines 605 which crashed at Kai Tak in 1993.This area of the airport is populated by ten static aircraft (Eleven if you count the wreckage of China Airlines 605) carrying the titles of cargo airlines that served Kai Tak including Cathay Pacific, Dragonair, China, Korean and KLM.
South Apron is inhabited by the ever present static aircraft. (Passenger Versions) The South apron was constructed later in the Kai Tak days, and was used as overflow parking.Just like the rest of Kai Tak
(Except the eight gates of course) passengers deplane using portable airstairs and use buses to go to and from the terminal and baggage claim areas.Accordingly, the entire airport is populated with the buses and other ground equipment that is used much more commonly at Kai Tak
than contemporary airports.
only runway (13-31) is a thing of beauty in Non-SDK compliance Mode, marked with years worth of tire skid marks from countless heavies landing in stiff crosswinds.The main goal of this scenery is, in my opinion, to replicate the famous IGS checkerboard approach to runway 13, and I believe that Fly Tampa
hit the nail right on the head.
The Kowloon city scenery is stunningly replicated under the approach, including all the lighting and buildings.Fly Tampa
went so far as to overlay screenshots of its middle marker and lead-in lights with a picture of the real thing, and it lines up perfectly.The checkerboard hill is landable (by helicopter, it seems a bit small for even a cub) and is a good place to watch the traffic landing, though you will need to add AI packs, as default traffic does not go to Kai Tak
As far as I can tell, having never been there, the city of Kowloon is replicated accurately circa 1998 when Kai Tak
...On the realism scale, Fly Tampa is tops in my book, and Kai Tak (I cannot believe that I am saying this, as the other package is also hyper-realistic) gives their St. Maarten package a run for its money!
Unlike the other Fly Tampa products that I have tested, Kai Tak
has a noticeable impact on performance.Sure, I did have many of the frame rate robbing options turned on, but my computer still struggled more than other sceneries.
Even though it has a higher frame rate impact than others that I have tried, the extensive installation options allow it to run on lower end hardware, though it will not be as realistic.Though it does not run as smoothly as St. Maarten for example, FSX was still running at a respectable 15 FPS. (when it would have been running 20-30 under different conditions) By disabling the static aircraft, Non SDK mode, and the moving vehicles, I believe that Kai Tak
could have easily pushed 30FPS even on my relatively low end equipment.
Even though the frame rates were impacted by the scenery, I think that the sheer amount of polygons and objects would have brought my machine to its knees had this not been a Fly Tampa product, as they are famous in the FS community for providing detailed, but frame rate friendly sceneries, that never fail to impress even the most seasoned FS veterans.
During the testing of Kai Tak
, I ran into one problem, and that is that the airport perimeter fences were floating about 500 feet above the airport.
Thanks to Fly Tampa
, Kai Tak
is now re-opened, and I cannot say how glad I am that it is!
...What I Like About Kai Tak
What I Don't Like About Kai Tak