RAF Kai Tak
| RAF Kai Tak | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Military, Defunct | ||||||||||
| Operator | Royal Air Force | ||||||||||
| Location | Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 9 m / 28 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 22°19′43″N 114°11′39″E / 22.32861°N 114.19417°E | ||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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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.
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.
It was the main airfield in Hong Kong housing other non-military users:
During the Japanese occupation from 1941-1945, Japanese A6M Zero fighters were based at Kai Tak.
A list of British aircraft stationed there:
The Japanese were stationed at Kai Tak during World War II and extended the runway at the base.
A list of RAF units at Kai Tak:
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:
Several buildings of the former station remain. Three of them, built in 1934, are Grade I historic buildings: the Headquarters Building, the Officers Mess and an Annex Block.
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