RAF Museum292 - Battle of Britain Collection - WWII - British - 90cm Searchlight

Fri, 05/13/2016 - 10:25

Source: This image came from Flickr, see https://flickr.com/photo.gne?id=1672154173

Date picture taken
2000s
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On several nights in the early 1950s, from Boundary Street, I saw three light beams originating from either Kai Tak Airport or farther out.   Their aims at the sky were stationary so it could be a routine equipment testing, but I always wonder about the real purpose on those days.   They likely used the same type of searchlight shown in this photo.  Regards,  Peter

The number of light beams caught my attention. May not have been searchlights as the lights were stationary. From aviation books and old copies of the Hong Kong Police Magazine that I have come across, three high-intensity sodium lamps were installed on the roof of the police station in Kowloon City for the purpose of assisting pilots in approaching Kai Tak on Runway 07 during conditions of poor visibility. The lights were switched on when the need arose. Do not have information on their elevation or tilt angle but the lights would have been bright when viewed from ground level from a distance.