RAF Kai Tak

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RAF Kai Tak
IATA: noneICAO: VHKT (Closed)
Summary
Airport type Military
Location Kowloon, Hong Kong
Elevation AMSL 9 m / 28 ft
Coordinates 22°19′43″N 114°11′39″E / 22.32861, 114.19417
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
13/31 (Closed) 3,390 11,122 Paved

RAF Kai Tak was a Royal Air Force station in Hong Kong. It was opened in 1927 and used for seaplanes. The RAF flight operated a few land based aircraft as well as having spare aircraft for naval units.

Contents

[edit] History

From 1968 to 1978 it was used by various RAF helicopter units, as well as the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force and Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps Air Unit. The RAF left Kai Tak and moved most other operations to Sek Kong Airfield.

From 1993 onwards the civilian Government Flying Service replaced Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force at Kai Tak, thus ending the RAF presence at the airport.

The apron and the old NCO Mess areas were used by the Royal Hong Kong Police Force as the Police Driving School premises for a number of years until re-sited.

[edit] Non-Military Users

It was the main airfield in Hong Kong housing other non-military users:

[edit] Aircraft

During the 1940s, Japanese A6M Zero fighters were based at Kai Tak, as well as United States Air Force Consolidated B-24 Liberator and North American B-25 Mitchell bombers.

A list of aircraft stationed there:

Builder / Model Type Number Dates Details
Gloster Meteor Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom fighter - 1962
de Havilland Vampire Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom fighter - 1962
de Havilland Venom Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom fighter - 1962
Fairey Flycatcher Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom fighter 1927-?
Hawker Horsley Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom fighter 3 1935-1937
De Havilland Tiger Moth Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom fighter 2 1935-1937
F4U Corsair Flag of the United States United States fighter 1950s
Bristol Beaufighter Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom fighter 1950s
De Havilland Hornet Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom fighter 1950s
Hawker Hunter Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom fighter 1950s-1960s

[edit] Squadrons

The Japanese were stationed at Kai Tak during World War II and was charge with extending the runway at the base.

  • Japan Force Communications Flight Squadron (28 Apr 1946 - xxx xxxx)

A list of RAF squadrons at Kai Tak:

  • Hong Kong Communication Flight Squadron (12 Sep 1945 - 15 Jan 1947)
  • No. 132 Squadron RAF (15 Sep 1945 - 15 Apr 1946)
  • No. 209 Squadron RAF (17 Sep 1945 - 28 Apr 1946)
  • No. 681 Squadron RAF (27 Sep - 23 Dec 1945)
  • No 200 Staging Post RAF (Oct 1945 - - Jun 1946)
  • No 1331 Wing RAF Regiment (xxx xxxx - May 1946)
  • No. 96 Squadron RAF (16 Apr - 1 Jun 1946)
  • No. 110 Squadron RAF (1 Jun 1946 - 15 Sep 1947)
  • No 1430 (Flying Boat Transport) Flight Squadron RAF (5 Aug - 1 Sep 1946)
  • No. 88 Squadron RAF (1 Sep 1946 - 24 Jun 1951)
  • No. 1903 Flight RAF and No. 656 Squadron RAF (15 Jul 1948 - 17 Aug 1949)
  • Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force (1 May 1949 - 1 Apr 1993)
  • No. 28 Squadron RAF(11 May 1949 - 1 May 1950, 7 Oct 1950 - 28 Mar 1951, 15 Aug - 5 Dec 1955, 14 Jun 1957 - 2 Jan 1967, 1 Mar 1968 - 17 May 1978, 1 Nov 1996 - 4 Jun 1997)
  • No. 80 Squadron RAF (20 Aug 1949 - 3 Jan 1950, 1 Feb - 7 Mar 1950, 28 Apr 1950 - 1 May 1955)
  • Hong Kong Auxiliary Flight RAF (Oct 1949 - 1 Oct 1950)
  • Hong Kong Auxiliary Squadron(1 Oct 1950 - 24 Nov 1953)
  • Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force Wing (24 Nov 1953 - xxx 1954)
  • Hong Kong Fighter Squadron (24 Nov 1953 - xxx 1954

[edit] RAF Detachments

[edit] Kai Tak Runway

Kai Tak's first runway was a grass strip and the first tarmac, an east-west runway, was 457 metres long in 1939. A series of extensions were added over the years:

  • 1940s - 1,371 metres runway added by the Japanese
  • 1956 - 2,194 metres north-south runway added
  • 1970 - 2,541 metres
  • 1975 - 3,358 metres
  • post 1975 - single paved runway 13/31 - 3390 metres (or 11,122 feet)

[edit] Facilities

[edit] Timezone

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Kai Tak Airport