What we have never seen as far as I am aware, are any images of the civil hangers’ operational facilities and equipment. The control tower at the west end of the aerodrome, looking out at its approaches and runways, would have had at least radio equipment for contact with airliners coming in and out. There would be weather tracking boards/diagrams, airfield lighting control desks etc. All facilities usually homed in on by the ‘Press’ and their photographers looking for a good story.
I understand that there were also passenger reception/processing facilities and lounges within the hangar’s attached office buildings, although some of the processing duties were carried out at the Peninsula Hotel in town. Nothing of which appears to have been photographed. The aerodrome terminals at Bangkok and Singapore were extensively publicized and featured in newsprint and magazines in that era.
While it appears that we do not hold any images of the inside of Kai Tack airport’s 1930s control tower at the operational level. Images of what it probably looked like can be found of London’s Croydon Airport control tower relating to the same era. This claims to be amongst the world’s ‘first dedicated aviation control towers. The design of which became the UK’s Air Ministry standard for control towers and used in British Territories’ overseas.
This control tower still exists today and has been restored as a ‘Visitors Centre’ which can be visited on advertised ‘Open Days or Weekends. A “must see” for budding Air Traffic Controllers to experience how far air traffic management has progressed.
Comments
Kai Tack Civil Hangar facilities-lack of images
What we have never seen as far as I am aware, are any images of the civil hangers’ operational facilities and equipment. The control tower at the west end of the aerodrome, looking out at its approaches and runways, would have had at least radio equipment for contact with airliners coming in and out. There would be weather tracking boards/diagrams, airfield lighting control desks etc. All facilities usually homed in on by the ‘Press’ and their photographers looking for a good story.
I understand that there were also passenger reception/processing facilities and lounges within the hangar’s attached office buildings, although some of the processing duties were carried out at the Peninsula Hotel in town. Nothing of which appears to have been photographed. The aerodrome terminals at Bangkok and Singapore were extensively publicized and featured in newsprint and magazines in that era.
Control Tower
While it appears that we do not hold any images of the inside of Kai Tack airport’s 1930s control tower at the operational level. Images of what it probably looked like can be found of London’s Croydon Airport control tower relating to the same era. This claims to be amongst the world’s ‘first dedicated aviation control towers. The design of which became the UK’s Air Ministry standard for control towers and used in British Territories’ overseas.
This control tower still exists today and has been restored as a ‘Visitors Centre’ which can be visited on advertised ‘Open Days or Weekends. A “must see” for budding Air Traffic Controllers to experience how far air traffic management has progressed.