Oh yeah. Those Kai Tak videos are fairly common, as the approach was really crazy. They closed that place several years ago though.
Yeah, I’ve seen this one a few times. It doesn’t seem particularly “extreme” to me – it’s probably partially the angle/zoom of the camera that’s creating most of the drama. You can see there’s a crosswind from the windsock and it is just crabbing on short final before a pretty significant rudder deflection to line up with the centerline.
And no, contrary to popular opinion, he didn’t plant the wrong wing.
That’s the proper crosswind method in a swept wing aircraft.
Otherwise he would have left shredded wingtip and nacelles on the runway.
jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=11253
jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=48980
Then there’s the problem of planting the gear before you’ve lined up with the runway:
jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=237685
Aircraft was subsequently scrapped.
Regards,
James
I’ve flown the infamous Kai Tak approach numerous times in a Navy C-9B, it is tricky and demanding and the ever present cross-winds jack the pucker factor up another notch but this Korean 747 pilot pushed a horrible (completely unstabilized) approach to the bitter end, even during heavy x-winds it is possible to finesse a nice clean landing, any time that you have to muscle the controls that hard you would be wiser to power up and try it again.
The Air India 747-200 in the photo was scrapped due to a high-time/cycle airframe.
So have I.
Thank God I was only a passenger every time and couldn’t see how busy things were up front where the parties are usually held! 
Regards,
James
It looks more like he came out of the checkerboard turn to far left of center line, and you can see a pretty heavy right deflection of the rudder as the movie starts, as he gets back in line, and then heavy left to get the nose lined up. I believe he is just exiting the final turn to final as it begins.
You’re correct, he overshot the rollout, landed short, hard (bounced twice) and far right, almost stuck the #1 engine in the ground, and planted the nose-wheel hard as well.
When you’re that close in and nothing seems to be going your way its time to take it around and give it another try.
Something else that you notice is that 99% of all the real exciting landing photos and videos you see from Kai Tak are Asian carriers.
I wonder if an Airbus A340 would have survived that kind of abuse?
Something else that you notice is that 99% of all the real exciting landing photos and videos you see from Kai Tak are Asian carriers.
I think that is just the fact that it is in Hong Kong, and the majority of the flights are Asian. I remember a pretty interesting landing featuring an Alitalia MD-11 or DC-10.
I wonder if an Airbus A340 would have survived that kind of abuse?
oh so common!..next!
Yeah, you’re right we’re all seeing stuff like the KAL 747 video out our kitchen window every day.
What on earth were any of us thinking?
While we are on the subject, here’s a couple more:
Nice angle of the final approach
airliners.net/open.file/0034373/L/
One of many in the “drink”
airliners.net/open.file/0296829/M/
Not experiencing Kai Tak or Concorde (from the inside ) are two of my biggest regrets concerning aviation.
As far as crosswind landings are concerned take a look at this photo airliners.net/open.file/0779246/L/ . Compare the heading of the a/c to rwy heading
But you’re assuming that the apron under him marks the runway he’s headed for! Never mind what the photographer says, it’s in his interest to make the photo “interesting”.
airport-technology.com/proje … phol2.html
But, that being said, with all the restrictions on noise at Schiphol it’s quite possible for the local controllers to have directed that 747 to land on that specific runway regardless of any wind conditions.
Regards,
James
No need to be so skeptical, its obvious were the plane is intending to land, besides you can see both pilots looking to their left down the runway centerline.
It’s my job to be skeptical, hard to shake the habit.
By George, you’re right!
The point i was trying (and apparently failed!) to make is that sometimes things aren’t as dire as some of these photos make them appear. A lot of drama can be added to a photo by camera position, angle, telephoto compression, etc., etc.
Regards,
James
At first: Believe me: I do know how does EHAM look like.
Second: It was obvious that he was about to land on the runway which apron is visible in the picture. At AMS there are no runways that are so close to each other. I mean: It was the only rwy he could land on from that altitude and heading.
I don’t take parts in discussions to argue with anybody. I find the photo interesting and I thought you might have not seen this pic before. That’s the reason why I linked to it in my post.
No argument, just a discussion and I appreciate you posting the URL for the photo.
As a newbie here I guess it’s obligatory on my part to say that all my posts should be read with an image in your head of me smiling as I type them! I have enough hours on my personal Hobbs meter to know not to attempt to argue with anyone on the internet.
Regards,
James
James,
My post was tongue-in-cheek as well, my monitor aint bad but I can’t make out what the pilots are doing.