Abstract
Cathay Pacific flight 260 out of Paris comes below cloud base over the South China Sea and begins the most taxing 30 km of the whole 9600 km flight, the final approach to Kai Tak airport. First, banking above Lantua Island, before coasting in over Victoria Harbour; the New Territories to the left, the jumbled architecture on Hong Kong Island to the right. Then, as the apartment blocks of Kowloon rise up on either side seemingly to clip the wingtips, a sharp turn to the right tilts your view into balconies festooned with washing poles. The Jumbo hangs almost motionless for a second in its turn, then drops towards the runway which ends abruptly out in the waters of the bay. No room for miscalculation here. We plunge down, correcting and re-correcting and hit the tarmac hard, a scream of reverse thrust and the plane slews left and right in the strong head wind. Slowing, slowing till the blur of movement resolves into a picture of small boats busy on the harbour. ‘Welcome to Kai Tak airport, Hong Kong.’
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