Speedbird2263 From Jamaica, joined Jul 2006, 454 posts, RR: 1 Reply 1, posted (5 years 1 month 3 weeks 6 days 21 hours ago) and read 12168 times:
Nostalgia at it's best. That's a very fine video showing what Kai Tak used to be like. I was nowhere near to being even thought of yet but I felt connected as If remembering 'the good ol' days.
Seafleet From United States of America, joined Aug 2005, 110 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (5 years 1 month 3 weeks 6 days 17 hours ago) and read 10588 times:
Good grief the taxis where Austin Cambridges my very first car [third hand].
Sadly I remember the days of all prop services especially from LHR and standing on the Queens building listening to the tower controller saying things like "you are cleared for take off for Hong Kong" or other exotic places that where just a blob in my school world atlas, but in those days I didnt realise where they stopped on route for fuel.
Ah time flies
MBMBOS From United States of America, joined May 2000, 2561 posts, RR: 1 Reply 6, posted (5 years 1 month 3 weeks 6 days 16 hours ago) and read 9974 times:
Very cool. Caught a glimpse of a Connie toward the end but couldn't identify the carrier.
Ryanair!!! From Singapore, joined Mar 2002, 4652 posts, RR: 27 Reply 10, posted (5 years 1 month 3 weeks 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 5974 times:
I have had the pleasure (and I am glad I could) to be flying into Kai Tak from 1979 right up till its last few months. Without fail, my heart would be beating during the last few moments of approach and I always made sure I had a window seat on the right hand side of the plane, and then kept my fingers crossed the approach would have been towards Rwy 13.
The flight coasting into Kowloon over Cheung Wan would have been exhilarating enough... You would literally see the number plates of the cars among the tall apartment blocks. As if that wasn't enough, the starboard wing then lowered and you are half expecting the wingtip to clip rooftop laundry, television antennas etc.
Before you can catch your breadth, the wheels touched the runway and reverse thrust would be blasting ending what was the world's most difficult, yet spectacular approach.
The present approach into HKIA is scenic (very), but gone is the exhilaration.
Welcome to my starry one world alliance, a team in the sky!
UAL747 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 11, posted (5 years 1 month 3 weeks 6 days 7 hours ago) and read 5071 times:
Iiiii, I want, I want you, I want you you, I want your loooove, why don't you come give it to me!
Wo yao ni, wo yao ni ni, Wo yao niiii, wo yao ni de ai.....ni wei shemme bu shang lai?
HEHE, funny song.
Hong Kong IS one of the most amazing cities though. I flew there back in 2000. LAX-HKG on a UA 747, hence my username. It was my first 747 flight and we approached HKG with a low ceiling, but that city just lit up the entire night sky. When we crossed the bridge and headed to HKG island at night, I was just in AWE! Wonderful wonderful place!
ImperialEagle From United States of America, joined Jan 2006, 1230 posts, RR: 14 Reply 12, posted (5 years 1 month 3 weeks 6 days 6 hours ago) and read 4894 times:
The thunder of those Pratt 2800's in full cry (DC-6) were a wonderful sound at the end of the film. Great old nostalgic footage. Thanks for sharing!
"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough!"
Super80 From United States of America, joined Dec 2006, 133 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (5 years 1 month 3 weeks 6 days 6 hours ago) and read 4765 times:
I just now see that there was a "Hong Kong Airways" !? Thought it was a CPA plane with that tail look-a-like !
Chgoflyer From United States of America, joined Nov 2003, 622 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (5 years 1 month 3 weeks 6 days 6 hours ago) and read 4529 times:
I need this song! Excellent vid, I would like to have traveled in the 1950's.
Ryanair!!! From Singapore, joined Mar 2002, 4652 posts, RR: 27 Reply 15, posted (5 years 1 month 3 weeks 6 days 5 hours ago) and read 4359 times:
Quoting UAL747 (Reply 11): Iiiii, I want, I want you, I want you you, I want your loooove, why don't you come give it to me!
Wo yao ni, wo yao ni ni, Wo yao niiii, wo yao ni de ai.....ni wei shemme bu shang lai?
It is a very popular song for drag shows. By the way, the ending is more like "... why don't you walk over to me!?". As in ni wei shen me bu zou guo lai...
Welcome to my starry one world alliance, a team in the sky!
Viscount724 From Switzerland, joined Oct 2006, 21460 posts, RR: 24 Reply 16, posted (5 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days 11 hours ago) and read 3552 times:
Quoting Super80 (Reply 13): I just now see that there was a "Hong Kong Airways" !? Thought it was a CPA plane with that tail look-a-like !
Hong Kong Airways was partly-owned by BOAC and was established in 1947 mainly to serve as a regional feeder for BA's longhaul flights to/from HKG. They were consistently unprofitable and were sold to CX in 1959.
Starlionblue From Hong Kong, joined Feb 2004, 15867 posts, RR: 66 Reply 17, posted (5 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days 9 hours ago) and read 3454 times:
Note how the stewardesses walk up the ladder slightly sideways because of the skirts.
Quoting Maddog888 (Reply 2): Also amazing is the ratio of FA's to passengers.
This was looooong before they were called flight attendants.
Quoting Super80 (Thread starter): It was amazing ! I did not know Hongkong was so plain ! Where were all the building ?! =)
They came up quickly. Even in the 80s the city looked pretty flat compared to now. It's amazing to consider that Jardine House was the tallest building in HK until 1980. Nowadays it's not even in the top 75, being dwarfed especially by neighboring IFC2. Until 1966, and thus in the time of this video, Bank of China House (not the Tower) was the tallest building. Nowadays it's hardly noticeable sitting next to the HSBC Main Building.
BTW how clean the city looks in the promotional video lol. Much as I like living in HK, the pollution is pretty annoying.
[Edited 2008-03-24 16:20:16]
"There are no stupid questions, but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots." - from Citadel by John Ringo
Starlionblue From Hong Kong, joined Feb 2004, 15867 posts, RR: 66 Reply 18, posted (5 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days 9 hours ago) and read 3393 times:
Note another thing in the film. The lady show walking towards the plane (after the stewardesses board) seems to have three staff with her luggage. How very Hong Kong.
"There are no stupid questions, but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots." - from Citadel by John Ringo
Starlionblue From Hong Kong, joined Feb 2004, 15867 posts, RR: 66 Reply 20, posted (5 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days 8 hours ago) and read 3295 times:
Another interesting thing to think about is the amount of work it must have been to get to Kai Tak from the Island in those days, before the tunnels. I guess you had to take a taxi to the ferry, take the ferry over, then a taxi out to the airport. Unless there was ferry service directly to Kai Tak from Central Pier.
Quoting Ryanair!!! (Reply 19): Quoting Starlionblue (Reply 17):
This was looooong before they were called flight attendants.
Just shimmy over to SQ/MH/TG, they are still called "stewardess" here.
Yes indeed.
IMHO stewardess/steward is a more appropriate title in any case. Being a steward/stewardess means you have responsibility delegated from someone (the airline in this case) for something (the passengers in this case). "Attendant" just sounds so much more pedestrian. No sense of the person being in charge of something. Just my opinion.
I think the reason the title changed to F/A in the West is because stewardess became synonymous with "pretty young thing in a sexy uniform". Rebranding.
[Edited 2008-03-24 18:04:34]
[Edited 2008-03-24 18:33:29]
"There are no stupid questions, but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots." - from Citadel by John Ringo
AirAmericaC46 From United States of America, joined Mar 2004, 590 posts, RR: 1 Reply 21, posted (5 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 3193 times:
Thank you to Super80 for sharing this amazing YouTube! I identified the following:
1. HongKong Airways Vickers Viscount. It flew to MNL, TPE and TYO
2. PanAmerican DC6 round-the-world flight stops in HKG
3. Swissair DC6B or DC7?? Silk route to Tokyo stops in HKG
Chgoflyer From United States of America, joined Nov 2003, 622 posts, RR: 0 Reply 22, posted (5 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 3162 times:
Grace Chang is the singer. quite a star in Hong Kong during the period.
FlyboyOz From Australia, joined Nov 2000, 1893 posts, RR: 28 Reply 23, posted (5 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days ago) and read 3030 times:
Chinese people still call "air hostess" in cantonese/manadrain.
Wow it was a cool to see HKG airport back in 50's to 60's. It was very different to our modern airport. I didn't know that there weren't many people around HKG back then.
Starlionblue From Hong Kong, joined Feb 2004, 15867 posts, RR: 66 Reply 24, posted (5 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days ago) and read 2995 times:
Quoting FlyboyOz (Reply 23): I didn't know that there weren't many people around HKG back then.
The demographics info (swiped from Wikipedia) shows an dramatic progression. The population in the 50s and 60s was about a third to half of the current one. Note also the dip during the war and the stagnation after return to China.
"There are no stupid questions, but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots." - from Citadel by John Ringo
25 Ken777: Kai Tak was a great airport for pax and I used to love the turn. On my last trip there (a month before it closed on a CX 747 from SYD) I mentioned to
26 Starlionblue: Although I was mostly too small to really appreciate Kai Tak when I flew in there a few times in the 70s and 80s, I do remember it. I also remember be
Sponsor Message: 
From United States of America, joined Dec 2006, 133 posts, 
From Jamaica, joined Jul 2006, 454 posts, 
From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2007, 159 posts, 
From Russia, joined Feb 2008, 1391 posts, 
From Canada, joined Oct 2004, 1418 posts, 
From Singapore, joined Mar 2002, 4652 posts, 
From Switzerland, joined Oct 2006, 21460 posts, 
From Hong Kong, joined Feb 2004, 15867 posts, 
From Australia, joined Nov 2000, 1893 posts, 
Printer friendly format 
