Fly Kai Tak

Update · Scenery & Weather

The control tower is back on the terminal roof

Kai Tak's control tower now stands on the passenger terminal at its runway end, where it really was, with its outward-leaning cab windows.

2 min readFly Kai Tak
The control tower on the terminal roof, with outward-leaning cab windows.
The rebuilt tower on the terminal roof.

The Kai Tak control tower now stands where it really was: on the roof of the passenger terminal, at its runway end, where the pier meets the taxiway. It used to be a separate tower on an island in the apron.

What is new

  • The tower rises off the terminal roof: a plant storey with a band of windows, a dark storey set back beneath the cab, then the cab itself.
  • The cab glass leans outward, wider at the top than at the bottom, so controllers could look straight down onto the stands. The plan is a rectangle with cut corners, as in period photos.
  • A balcony rail runs round the foot of the cab, and a deep flat roof with a dark fascia overhangs the leaning glass. A red beacon and two masts sit on top.
  • Satellite dishes and aerial masts stand on the terminal roof beside the tower.
  • From the cab you look straight down onto the taxiway and Runway 13/31, with the harbour beyond, and along the pier and apron toward Lion Rock, as in period photos.
  • At night the cab glows, as before.
The control tower on the terminal roof, with outward-leaning cab windows, a balcony rail and a flat roof.
The cab sits on the terminal roof, its glass leaning outward.
The terminal seen from the apron, with the control tower above the roofline.
From the apron the tower stands above the terminal roofline.
The Tower view looking down on an airliner on the taxiway, with the runway and the harbour beyond.
The Tower view looks down on the taxiway and runway.
From the tower cab, airliners at the stands along the pier, with Lion Rock behind.
The other way, along the pier and apron toward Lion Rock.

What did not change

  • The tower is solid: fly into it and the flight ends.
  • The autopilot still lands in every weather preset, and flying with no input still ends in a crash.

啟德控制塔而家企返喺佢真正嘅位置：客運大樓天台近跑道嗰頭，即係碼頭接滑行道嘅位置。以前佢係停機坪中間一座獨立嘅塔。

有咩新

  • 控制塔由大樓天台升起：一層有一排窗嘅機房，喺塔頂下面有一層縮入去嘅深色樓層，再上面就係塔頂控制室。
  • 控制室嘅玻璃向外斜，上闊下窄，等管制員可以直接望落停機位。平面係切咗角嘅長方形，同舊相一樣。
  • 控制室底部有一圈露台欄杆，上面有個深色邊嘅平頂，伸出遮住斜玻璃。頂上有一盞紅色燈同兩支天線。
  • 塔旁邊嘅大樓天台有衛星碟同天線杆。
  • 由控制室可以直接望落滑行道同 13/31 跑道，後面係海港；另一邊沿住碼頭同停機坪望向獅子山，同舊相一樣。
  • 夜晚控制室會好似以前咁發光。
客運大樓天台上嘅控制塔，有向外斜嘅控制室窗、露台欄杆同平頂。
控制室坐喺大樓天台，玻璃向外斜。
由停機坪望客運大樓，控制塔高過天台。
由停機坪望，控制塔高過大樓嘅天台線。
塔台視角向下望住滑行道上嘅客機，後面係跑道同海港。
塔台視角望落滑行道同跑道。
由控制室望碼頭停機位上嘅客機，後面係獅子山。
另一邊沿住碼頭同停機坪望向獅子山。

冇變嘅嘢

  • 控制塔係實心嘅：撞埋去就會墜機。
  • 自動駕駛喺所有天氣設定下照樣降落，完全唔操作照樣會墜機。

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