How do you fly the Kai Tak Runway 13 approach?

To fly Kai Tak’s Runway 13 approach, intercept the historic IGS 13 localiser on its 088° inbound course, follow the glide path towards the checkerboard, acquire the runway visually, then hand-fly the sharp right turn onto roughly 136°. Stabilise immediately; if the runway is not clearly visible or alignment fails, go around.

In real-world aviation, this is now a historical procedure: Kai Tak closed in 1998, so no active operational approach exists. It used VHHH while open; historical simulator scenery generally uses VHHX because VHHH now identifies Hong Kong International at Chek Lap Kok.

The scenery matters because modern navigation databases normally omit the old IGS. FSX users can add a historical VHHX environment with the checkerboard and navigation aids, while FS2004 users have a period Kai Tak package with an IGS 13 implementation. Check the add-on documentation: some recreations provide the authentic offset beam, while others add a runway-aligned aid for convenience.

What frequency and course does Kai Tak IGS 13 use?

The standard late-era figures commonly reproduced by simulators are 111.90 MHz and an inbound localiser course of 088°.

Minor heading differences can appear because of scenery placement, chart era and the simulator’s magnetic-variation model. Centre the localiser rather than forcing the aircraft to fly an exact magnetic heading. Use the chart supplied with the scenery for altitudes, fixes and missed-approach instructions.

How do you fly the checkerboard approach in a simulator?

1. Brief the entire approach. Identify the IGS course, visual turning area, runway direction, minimum altitude and missed-approach route. Begin in daylight with calm weather before adding low cloud, darkness or crosswind.
2. Intercept the IGS from below. Tune 111.90 MHz where supported, set 088° on the course selector and capture the localiser before the glide path. The autopilot may fly this straight segment, but confirm that it is following the offset IGS rather than a convenience localiser aligned with Runway 13.
3. Complete the landing configuration early. Select gear, landing flap and the aircraft-specific VAPP or VREF correction before the visual turn. Excess groundspeed dramatically widens the turn: at the same bank angle, 10% more groundspeed produces roughly 21% more turn radius.
4. Acquire the runway environment. At the charted visual decision point, look right for Runway 13 while retaining the checkerboard as a positional reference. The checkerboard alone is not a reason to descend below the applicable minimum; if the required runway references are absent, execute the missed approach.
5. Disconnect and make a coordinated right turn. Begin at the scenery chart’s visual turning cue, look through the turn towards both the threshold and far end of the runway, and maintain the planned descent and speed. A transport jet at the proper groundspeed may initially need around 20–25° of bank, but the visual geometry—not a memorised bank angle—determines the correction.
6. Roll out on approximately 136°. Ease off the bank before reaching the extended centreline, then use small pitch, power and lateral corrections. Avoid forcing alignment with rudder alone. Our stabilised visual-approach method covers the underlying sight picture, energy control and flare technique.
7. Land in the touchdown zone or go around. Hold the centreline, apply the aircraft’s normal flare technique and do not dive at the runway after a high rollout. In wind, use the appropriate crab, de-crab or wing-low crosswind technique rather than carrying excessive bank into the flare.

Where should you start the turn at the checkerboard?

The turn starts at the charted visual cue when a continuous right turn will place the aircraft on the extended runway centreline; the painted checkerboard is not a waypoint to overfly. Many recreations put this transition at roughly 650–700 ft on the altimeter and about two nautical miles from the threshold, but those are approximate orientation figures, not universal triggers.

Starting late causes an overshoot towards the harbour side of the centreline. Starting early produces an undershoot and can tempt the pilot to flatten or reverse the turn close to the ground. Keep the runway threshold and far end in view together: their relative alignment gives a much better centreline cue than staring at the threshold alone.

Can the autopilot fly the Kai Tak Runway 13 approach?

The autopilot can usually fly the localiser and glide-path segment, but an authentic IGS cannot command the final turn because its beam continues towards the checkerboard. Disconnect before or at the visual turning point and hand-fly the remainder.

The flight director can also become misleading after leaving the beam, commanding the aircraft back towards 088°. Switch it off or consciously disregard those bars during the visual segment. A curved path drawn by a custom FMS or navigation display does not turn the historical visual manoeuvre into an automatic approach.

When should you go around at Kai Tak?

Go around as soon as the approach requires a large, hurried correction rather than trying to rescue it below the visual turn. A conservative simulator gate is to abandon the landing if any of these conditions occurs:

• The runway environment is not visible at the applicable minimum.
• The turn would require more than about 30° of bank, a skid or an abrupt reversal near the ground.
• The aircraft is not substantially aligned by roughly 300 ft above aerodrome level.
• Speed, landing configuration or descent rate is materially outside the aircraft’s normal limits.
• The projected touchdown point has moved beyond the normal touchdown zone.

The 300 ft figure is a practical simulator training gate, not a substitute for a historical operator procedure. The missed approach from the straight IGS segment can differ from a go-around after alignment with the runway, so brief the route supplied with the scenery before descending.

Why does the Kai Tak approach keep going wrong?