http://www.china-briefing.com/news/2008/07/15/seaplanes-to-sail-the-skies-again-in-hong-kong.html Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:11:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 http://www.china-briefing.com/news/2008/07/15/seaplanes-to-sail-the-skies-again-in-hong-kong.html/comment-page-1#comment-24958 Derek Empson Sat, 09 May 2009 06:54:33 +0000 http://www.china-briefing.com/news/2008/07/15/seaplanes-again-for-hong-kong-routes.html#comment-24958 I was delighted to see the photo of a 1930s/50s era flying boat and the hoped for service from Kai Tak. May I remind readers that UK Royal Air Force Sunderland four-engine flying boats were base at and flew from the alighting area off Kaitak and Kowloon from after World War II until 1959. They provided search and rescue services in the Hong Kong and South China Sea area to both military and civil aircraft throughout daylight hours. This was when Cathy Pacific had just four DC3s and one DC4, and BOAC flew a daily service from London using 4-piston engine Argonauts. Aircraft did not land or take-off from the Kaitak runway at night because of the difficult and potentially dangerous approach to and departure from this airfield which then served Hong Kong. The present airport was built on reclaimed land on part of what was in the 1950s, the flying boat take-off and landing area. Of course we shared this with sampans and merchant ships! I was "we" because I was a navigator aboard one of those Sunderlands from 1952 and '54 and spent many months at Kowloon and RAF Kai Tak on SAR duty. We used to patrol at low level around the island coastlines and would sometimes land on the sea, drop anchor and go for a swim. Kowloon (and Hong Kong) were bustling and enjoyable cities as they no doubt are today. Kowloon then had a very distinctive smell which I won't try to describe. It would be great if a civil flying boat service could be resurrected from Hong Kong. My experiences as a flying boat navigator in the Far East will, in Spring 2010, be released and described in my book called "Sunderland over Far Eastern Seas". I was delighted to see the photo of a 1930s/50s era flying boat and the hoped for service from Kai Tak. May I remind readers that UK Royal Air Force Sunderland four-engine flying boats were base at and flew from the alighting area off Kaitak and Kowloon from after World War II until 1959. They provided search and rescue services in the Hong Kong and South China Sea area to both military and civil aircraft throughout daylight hours. This was when Cathy Pacific had just four DC3s and one DC4, and BOAC flew a daily service from London using 4-piston engine Argonauts. Aircraft did not land or take-off from the Kaitak runway at night because of the difficult and potentially dangerous approach to and departure from this airfield which then served Hong Kong. The present airport was built on reclaimed land on part of what was in the 1950s, the flying boat take-off and landing area. Of course we shared this with sampans and merchant ships! I was “we” because I was a navigator aboard one of those Sunderlands from 1952 and ‘54 and spent many months at Kowloon and RAF Kai Tak on SAR duty. We used to patrol at low level around the island coastlines and would sometimes land on the sea, drop anchor and go for a swim. Kowloon (and Hong Kong) were bustling and enjoyable cities as they no doubt are today. Kowloon then had a very distinctive smell which I won’t try to describe. It would be great if a civil flying boat service could be resurrected from Hong Kong. My experiences as a flying boat navigator in the Far East will, in Spring 2010, be released and described in my book called “Sunderland over Far Eastern Seas”.

]]> http://www.china-briefing.com/news/2008/07/15/seaplanes-to-sail-the-skies-again-in-hong-kong.html/comment-page-1#comment-16206 Chris Devonshire-Ellis Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:27:55 +0000 http://www.china-briefing.com/news/2008/07/15/seaplanes-again-for-hong-kong-routes.html#comment-16206 Maybe. But they also look really cool...the aesthetic appeal I guess. Maybe. But they also look really cool…the aesthetic appeal I guess.

]]> http://www.china-briefing.com/news/2008/07/15/seaplanes-to-sail-the-skies-again-in-hong-kong.html/comment-page-1#comment-16182 Nigel Lam Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:28:16 +0000 http://www.china-briefing.com/news/2008/07/15/seaplanes-again-for-hong-kong-routes.html#comment-16182 Seaplane service is a great idea, but why for short haul to Macau? I assume they are aware of the HK to Macau bridge which will most likely make this idea redundant commercially. One would reckon a seaplane taxi service to holiday destinations will make more commercial sense. Seaplane service is a great idea, but why for short haul to Macau? I assume they are aware of the HK to Macau bridge which will most likely make this idea redundant commercially. One would reckon a seaplane taxi service to holiday destinations will make more commercial sense.

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