TURN RIGHT WHEN YOU SEE THE CHECKERBOARD

If you keep going in this direction, you will head straight into the side of a mountain. Which is ill-advised. Steep turn, descend, and line up for thirteen ("IGS one three"). The checkerboard was actually on the slope which the plane faced, the passengers might not see it, because of the angle, but the pilot started the sharp right turn and descent as soon as it became visible.
If the runway was overshot, the plane would end up in the water.

Remarkably, it was one of the busiest airports in the world.


香港啟德機場
[Heung Gong Kai Tak Kei Cheung]

You could see the checker board from street level in various places, and to give you an idea of the tightness of things, imagine yourself on a school sports field, seeing the marker on the hill, and hearing a plane every five minutes or so very low overhead. The airport is closed now, and the checkerboard's white and red is fading.

The runway that gave people heart attacks was built in 1958, and de-activated in 1998. The new airport at Chek Lap Kok (赤鱲角) to the west on the other side of Kowloon is bigger, brighter, and far less exciting.

Well, except for that famous video of the woman having a meltdown ...

Just for the heck of it, here it is.


BUT THE PLANE HASN'T LEFT YET!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbVw7entkxg


Basically, "damn it all, what a cock-up, the plane hasn't left yet, so how come they closed the gate already, what does whatever have to do with me, you are all stupid, why didn't you do something?!?" It's very fraught.
激死啊！

Some male is overheard saying "don't get so excited".
Which is almost always rather good advice.
Not really effective, though.


The first part of the approach brought you straight across Kowloon, then you'd be leaning heavily right as the plane made the turn north of Hung Hom (紅磡), after which you'd level out almost directly over the housing at Chun Seen Mei Chuen (真善美村) and descend rapidly. If you looked to the left you'd see the apartment buildings of Kwun Tong (觀塘) at eye-level.
A bump as you touched ground, then sharp braking.

Worse in bad weather.


Billboards everywhere, and neon. Advertisements for Marlboro cigarettes, Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce, Double Happiness ...




The jets are flying overhead right now in San Francisco, because it is Fleet Week and the navy is in town. They aren't quite as annoying as several years ago when I worked at an office on Bush Street. But still, loud.




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