[fingpilot]

The approaches landing west were all conventional. Traditional ILS's and boring. Only funky note was to "Use caution for chinese junk masts to 135' on short final." The Runway was built on fill, and ended right at the rip-rap in the harbor.

The approaches landing east were where all the fun was. My airline required 3 times in 30 days to be able to use the approach in real weather to minimums. It was called an "IGS"; Instrument Guidance System". The approach plate (Which I wish I could duplicate here) was a real head-turner, pardon the pun. The video above (taken from the jump seat) is that approach, but done in visual conditions. You actually started 30 miles south of the runway with a vector to what appeared in the cockpit as an ILS, meaning having both centerline and vertical glidepath guidance. It included a DME (Distance Measuring Equiptment), which would read zero distance at the mountaintop this system 'guided' you onto. In the video, that mountaintop has two incredibly large orange-and-white checkerboard signs, probably 100' across by 60' tall, lighted at night, and can be seen in the video.

The deal was to intercept and fly this system solely on instruments down to 1.7 Miles from the mountaintop (usually in the clouds), and hopefully break out into the 'clear' enough to see BOTH the checkerboards and the runway. Here's where the head turner came in. At that point, you break out looking at a mountain / checkerboard a mile in front of you, the surrounding mountains in all directions disappearing into the clouds; the runway was outside the copilot's SIDE window, down low. If you actually went all the way to the 1.7 DME fix and did not have BOTH in sight, it was an IMMEDIATE HARD CLIMBING RIGHT TURN!. If you actually DID spot the checkerboard and the copilot had the runway as well, it was a fairly hard right turn, throttles to almost idle, final flaps (thereby committing to land) and continuing a steep descent. From the actual missed approach point, the turn to final was usually an overshoot, meaning a reversal as you flare (if really unlucky) or slightly earlier if you are really good. Make the turn early and there was another unlit and sharply rising mountaintop blocking the flight / glidepath.

NOW... throw in an increasing cross or tailwind (both very usual), lots of turbulence if the winds from China were blowing at all, and you had better be pretty good at stick and rudder, and had better have prepped the F/O to be able to not look outside, but rather be calling out the final checklist and power settings / speeds all the way down.

The terrain (Kowloon) was never more than 2000' below you at the 1.7 DME fix, and was sometimes AT Radio Altimeter Descision Height of 350 feet (rooftops and obstructions) all the way to the runway (Meaning that the Ground Proximity computer was yelling at you as well as the height callouts repeating every time you went across a rooftop).


Along with two notes that will ALWAYS get your attention.

1). Any missed approach commenced at ANY time AFTER 1.7 DME will not clear multiple obstacles and result in flight into terrain.

2). Caution for chinese junk masts to 135' on short final.

Yeah, I miss it.

Rolling out in the rain, on a wet 7000' runway after rolling one on, reversers throwing spray 50 feet in front of the wing..... everyone in the plane was ALWAYS clapping.



I just re-watched the cockpit vid posted above. They did turn a little early. See the clouds going by in the first part of the vid? That was a nice day. As they are turning final, the tower is clearing a heavy to takeoff on the same runway. Any other city in the world requires 2 minutes for wake turbulence. Not here; it was the least of your problems..... also, hear the chuckles as they are rolling out? Also very normal in the cockpit. The other fav part? The mile-plus taxi-back to the terminal watching the next few guys do the same sweat you just did.