Sha Tin Airfield was a small military airfield in
Sha Tin
Sha Tin, also spelt Shatin, is a neighbourhood along Shing Mun River in the eastern New Territories, Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Sha Tin District. Sha Tin is one of the neighbourhoods of the Sha Tin New Town project.
The ne ...
,
New Territories
The New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of the population of Hong Kong. Historically, it ...
,
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
, which had a single concrete runway. The airfield was located along the
Shing Mun River
The Shing Mun River or Shing Mun River Channel is a river in Sha Tin, Hong Kong.
History
The original Shing Mun River began at Needle Hill, and flowed into the former Tide Cove (Sha Tin Hoi), a shallow bay. In the 1970s, Tide Cove was recla ...
and looked out to
Tide Cove
Sha Tin Hoi / Sha Tin Sea () or Tide Cove is a cove at the mouth of the Shing Mun River. It is between Ma Liu Shui and Ma On Shan. The cove is open to Tolo Harbour (Tai Po Hoi). It was largely reclaimed for the development of Sha Tin New Town. ...
. The airfield served as a
Flight (military unit)
A flight is a small military unit within the larger structure of an air force, naval air service, or army air corps; and is usually subservient of a larger squadron. A military aircraft flight is typically composed of four aircraft, though ...
location for most of the location's existence.
The airfield was destroyed by storm surge from
Typhoon Wanda in 1962. It was demolished in the early 1970s as the RAF consolidated their operations at
RAF Shek Kong and later re-developed as part of the New Town project for
Shatin
Sha Tin, also spelt Shatin, is a neighbourhood along Shing Mun River in the eastern New Territories, Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Sha Tin District. Sha Tin is one of the neighbourhoods of the Sha Tin New Town project.
The ne ...
.
Location
It was located near the
Sha Tin station
Sha Tin station, formerly known as Sha Tin railway station ( or ) is a station on the of Hong Kong's Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system. The station is located in the town centre of Sha Tin.
The station was formerly on the main line of the ...
of the
Kowloon-Canton Railway British Section, near present-day
Hong Kong Heritage Museum
Hong Kong Heritage Museum is a museum of history, art and culture in Sha Tin, Hong Kong, located beside the Shing Mun River. The museum opened on 16 December 2000. It is managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong ...
and
Royal Park Hotel. The airfield was built on the shallow shores of
Tide Cove
Sha Tin Hoi / Sha Tin Sea () or Tide Cove is a cove at the mouth of the Shing Mun River. It is between Ma Liu Shui and Ma On Shan. The cove is open to Tolo Harbour (Tai Po Hoi). It was largely reclaimed for the development of Sha Tin New Town. ...
.
History
In 1949, Sha Tin Airfield was built for use by the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
(as RAF Shatin). The designation as an RAF airfield was brief and was transferred to the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
's
Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps:
* Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army
* Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941)
* United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...
(AAC). In the 1950s and 1960, the AAC rotated in various
Air Observation Post
Air Observation Post (AOP) is an aeroplane or helicopter used in the role of artillery spotter by the British Army and Commonwealth forces. In this role, either the pilot of the aircraft or another crew member acts as an observer watching for tar ...
Flight units from
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
to
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
:
* No. 20 Independent Reconnaissance Flight
*
No. 1900 Independent Air Observation Post Flight RAF
No. 657 Squadron RAF was a unit of the Royal Air Force in North Africa, Italy and the Netherlands during the Second World War and afterwards in Germany.
Numbers 651 to 663 Squadrons of the RAF were Air Observation Post units working closely wit ...
*
No. 1903 Air Observation Post Flight RAF
No. 652 Squadron RAF was a unit of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War and afterwards in Germany.
Numbers 651 to 663 Squadrons of the RAF were Air Observation Post units working closely with Army units in artillery spotting and liaiso ...
*
7 Flight AAC
*
8 Flight AAC
658 Squadron AAC is an Army Air Corps unit of the British Army that provides dedicated aviation support to the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (22 SAS) for domestic counter terrorism (CT) operations. The squadron is co-located with 22 SAS at ...
*
12 Flight AAC
*
16 Flight AAC
*
25 Flight AAC
25 Flight Army Air Corps is a flight within the British Army's Army Air Corps, currently part of the British Army Training Unit Kenya.
History
The flight was formed in 1987 in Belize where it operated Sioux AH1 helicopters. The flight returne ...
*
29 Flight AAC
The Air Observation Post were under the command of the
40th Infantry Division. The airfield operated the
Auster AOP.6
The Auster AOP.6 was a British military air observation aircraft produced by Auster Aircraft Limited to replace the numerous wartime Taylorcraft Auster aircraft then in-service.
History
The Auster AOP.6 (Auster Model K) was designed as a succe ...
, an aircraft also used by the
Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force
The Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force (RHKAAF) was a Hong Kong Government department based in Hong Kong. It was formed as an air force in 1949 as part of the Hong Kong Defence Force. In preparation for the transfer of sovereignty from the Uni ...
.
Belgian pilot
Charles den Bron flew his
Spirit of Shatin from an airfield in the area in 1911.
During the late 1950s a private club used the airfield to fly RC model airplanes.
Hong Kong Model Engineering Club Limited
/ref> The club remained at the airfield until 1970.
In 1962, Typhoon Wanda severely damaged much of the site and moved to Kai Tak airport to relocate with the RAF around 1963. Subsequently, the airfield was demolished in the early 1970s to make way for developing the Sha Tin New Town
Sha Tin New Town, or known as Sha Tin-Ma On Shan New Town or Sha Tin Town is one of the satellite towns and new towns of Hong Kong. It is within the Sha Tin District, the New Territories. The New Town covers the neighbourhoods such as Sha Tin, ...
.
Facilities
The airfield consisted of a single 600-metre runway, direction 05/23. Facilities at the airfield consisted of a small control tower, building and hangars made of corrugated steel sections. The airfield was abandoned after Typhoon Wanda in 1962. All the structures were demolished when the station closed in the 1970s. The Air Observation Post Headquarter's building was located at the edge of the Tide Cove
Sha Tin Hoi / Sha Tin Sea () or Tide Cove is a cove at the mouth of the Shing Mun River. It is between Ma Liu Shui and Ma On Shan. The cove is open to Tolo Harbour (Tai Po Hoi). It was largely reclaimed for the development of Sha Tin New Town. ...
facing Tolo Harbour
Tolo Harbour, or Tai Po Hoi (, historically ) is a sheltered harbour in northeast New Territories of Hong Kong.
Geography
Tide Cove aka. Sha Tin Hoi is to the south of the harbour, and Plover Cove, Three Fathoms Cove and Tolo Channel are to ...
.
The runway is now the site of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum
Hong Kong Heritage Museum is a museum of history, art and culture in Sha Tin, Hong Kong, located beside the Shing Mun River. The museum opened on 16 December 2000. It is managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong ...
, New Town Plaza
New Town Plaza is a shopping mall in the town centre of Sha Tin, Hong Kong. Developed by Sun Hung Kai Properties, it was the biggest shopping centre in the New Territories when it was completed in the early 1980s. Covering 200,000 square metre ...
Phase 3 and Royal Park Hotel, while the base is currently occupied by Sha Tin Park
Sha Tin Park, formerly known as Sha Tin Central Park, is a park at 2 Yuen Wo Road, Sha Tin, Hong Kong. It is situated along the Shing Mun River in the new town of Sha Tin, next to the New Town Plaza, Sha Tin Town Hall, and Sha Tin Publi ...
.
See also
* Military of Hong Kong
The People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison is a garrison of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), responsible for defence duties in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) since the sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred to ...
* British Forces Overseas Hong Kong
British Forces Overseas Hong Kong comprised the elements of the British Army, Royal Navy (including Royal Marines) and Royal Air Force stationed in British Hong Kong. The Governor of Hong Kong also assumed the position of the commander-in-c ...
* Sek Kong Airfield
* RAF Kai Tak
RAF Kai Tak was a Royal Air Force (RAF) station in Hong Kong, based at Kai Tak Airport. It was opened in 1927 and used for seaplanes. The RAF flight operated a few land based aircraft as well as having spare aircraft for naval units.
History
...
* Aviation history of Hong Kong
The Aviation history of Hong Kong began in Sha Tin on 18 March 1911, when Belgian pilot successfully took off on an aeroplane retrospectively named ''Spirit of Sha Tin'' (). A replica of the aircraft is hung at the new Chep Lap Kok airport above ...
References
* 宋軒麟 (2004), 《香港航空百年》, Hong Kong: Joint Us Press ()
* http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1957/1957%20-%201449.html
* http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1961/1961%20-%200922.html
* http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1954/1954%20-%201569.html
External links
Flight Global (PDF)
{{authority control
Airports in Hong Kong
Defunct airports in the United Kingdom
Military of Hong Kong under British rule
Sha Tin
Former buildings and structures in Hong Kong
Military of Hong Kong
1949 establishments in Hong Kong
1970 disestablishments in Hong Kong
Airports established in 1949
Airports disestablished in 1970