Kai Tak - The Prior Years
Happy Valley
Hong Kong’s entry into flight began on 3 January 1891, above the racecourse at Happy Valley. Mr Thomas Baldwin and his younger brother, William Ivy, ascended in a balloon and, as advertised, descended by parachute. The launching was smooth and the descent uneventful. Buoyed by their success the Baldwin’s repeated their performance in Macau. They were treated as demigods.
The Hongkong Telegraph, Thursday 10 November 1892, advertised a coming event. Signor Leo Mexican Bill Hernandez, acrobat and aeronaut, would ascend from the West Point Praya. Then from the trapeze platform of his brilliantly illuminated balloon Mexican Bill would fire signal rockets from amid the clouds. The climax of his show had him floating to the ground on a fiery parachute - advertised as a stunt never done before.
The cost to the Inner Enclosure was $HK1; Outer Enclosure .50 cents; soldiers, sailors and children half price. With the 9pm deadline approaching gate receipts exceeded $HK100 - a considerable amount for the time!
Left : The Hong Kong Telegraph 10 November 1892 advertised Leo Mexican Bill Fernandez aerial show.
The Hongkong Telegraph, Thursday 10 November 1892, advertised a coming event. Signor Leo Mexican Bill Hernandez, acrobat and aeronaut, would ascend from the West Point Praya. Then from the trapeze platform of his brilliantly illuminated balloon Mexican Bill would fire signal rockets from amid the clouds. The climax of his show had him floating to the ground on a fiery parachute - advertised as a stunt never done before.
The cost to the Inner Enclosure was $HK1; Outer Enclosure .50 cents; soldiers, sailors and children half price. With the 9pm deadline approaching gate receipts exceeded $HK100 - a considerable amount for the time!
Left : The Hong Kong Telegraph 10 November 1892 advertised Leo Mexican Bill Fernandez aerial show.
Murray Barracks Parade Ground
The Telegraph's next issue reported the band did not play as there wasn't one! Yet, the 200 paying customers found entertainment from the blustery wind that defied efforts to charge the balloon with hot air. A contrary wind outwitted the inflation process by keeping the furnace on the lee side. Yet gradually hot air gained ascendancy over cold and the balloon’s sides bellied. Suddenly a gigantic sheet of flame burst through the top of the balloon and as the crowd shrieked with excitement the Praya (waterfront) became as day. As the canopy collapsed onto the aeronaut the spectators were hushed. Then a greater roar of applause erupted when Mexican Bill calmly stepped from the blazing inferno. Burnt and blackened he apologised and offered to return all admission fees. Few accepted his generous offer, and in appreciation of his savoir-faire the audience took up a collection to buy him another balloon.
In January 1910 William Ivy Baldwin returned to the Colony with a huge balloon named Mogul. With BlackheadPoint (Signal Hill) in the background a vast crowd watched in awe as Baldwin inflated the largest balloon in the world. At 1,500 feet Baldwin pulled a restraining line that released his parachute and deflated Mogul. Baldwin landed in the harbour and his balloon flapped gently to earth near Holt’s Wharf.
Left : The accompanying advertisement mentions the ascent will take place from Murray Barracks Parade Ground located on the island of Hong Kong.
For the remainder of 1910 several other aeronauts brought balloons to the Colony. Mr P.H. Hilborne partnered by Hee Chong enjoyed success landing near Happy Valley. The next proved a con man that adored publicity and earned a reputation as master of the excuse. Time and again Captain Price announced an ascent but always found a reason to postpone it.
In January 1910 William Ivy Baldwin returned to the Colony with a huge balloon named Mogul. With BlackheadPoint (Signal Hill) in the background a vast crowd watched in awe as Baldwin inflated the largest balloon in the world. At 1,500 feet Baldwin pulled a restraining line that released his parachute and deflated Mogul. Baldwin landed in the harbour and his balloon flapped gently to earth near Holt’s Wharf.
Left : The accompanying advertisement mentions the ascent will take place from Murray Barracks Parade Ground located on the island of Hong Kong.
For the remainder of 1910 several other aeronauts brought balloons to the Colony. Mr P.H. Hilborne partnered by Hee Chong enjoyed success landing near Happy Valley. The next proved a con man that adored publicity and earned a reputation as master of the excuse. Time and again Captain Price announced an ascent but always found a reason to postpone it.
Photo shows the
ascent starting from Holt’s Wharf in Kowloon. 22 January 1910
Captain Baldwin
He left with the dubious record of never flying in the Colony.
On 28 January 1911 an old friend returned, this time forsaking balloons for aeroplanes. With three others Thomas Scott Baldwin (now Captain) petitioned the Hong Kong Government for permission to fly from Happy Valley. The Government would not approve this venue and suggested the inaccessible Taipo. In anger Captain Baldwin and his three friends repacked their planes and continued on to the Manila Carnival. Captain Price, one of the team, scathingly remarked he would never return to the Colony, and one ponders what would be the loss, if any. Even this promise proved false, for in February 1912 he returned with a balloon that bad weather kept grounded, doubtless, much to his relief. His reputation for never flying in the Colony remained unsullied.
Left : Capt. Thomas Scott Baldwinsits proudly in his pusher single-engine biplane the Red Devil.
On 28 January 1911 an old friend returned, this time forsaking balloons for aeroplanes. With three others Thomas Scott Baldwin (now Captain) petitioned the Hong Kong Government for permission to fly from Happy Valley. The Government would not approve this venue and suggested the inaccessible Taipo. In anger Captain Baldwin and his three friends repacked their planes and continued on to the Manila Carnival. Captain Price, one of the team, scathingly remarked he would never return to the Colony, and one ponders what would be the loss, if any. Even this promise proved false, for in February 1912 he returned with a balloon that bad weather kept grounded, doubtless, much to his relief. His reputation for never flying in the Colony remained unsullied.
Left : Capt. Thomas Scott Baldwinsits proudly in his pusher single-engine biplane the Red Devil.
The Winged Walloon
The Government’s refusal to allow Captain Baldwin to fly prevented him claiming the first heavier-than-air flight in Hong Kong. This great honour fell to a dashing Belgian aviator on 18 March 1911.
As the shadows lengthened in Uen Chau Ha and Wong Uk, Sha Tin, the village folk expected a restful evening. The strong, gusty wind that had whipped the sand of their Tide Cove beach into stinging projectiles had become a gentle cooling breeze. Suddenly a raucous screeching shattered the peace of their quiet haven. It was 5:10 pm and they had heard The Winged Walloon’s Wanda make the Colony’s first heavier-than- air flight. (Walloon is a native of the tract along the frontiers of France and Belgium.)
Left : Charles Van den Born, The Winged Walloon in proud pose with his Farman racer 1910.
As the shadows lengthened in Uen Chau Ha and Wong Uk, Sha Tin, the village folk expected a restful evening. The strong, gusty wind that had whipped the sand of their Tide Cove beach into stinging projectiles had become a gentle cooling breeze. Suddenly a raucous screeching shattered the peace of their quiet haven. It was 5:10 pm and they had heard The Winged Walloon’s Wanda make the Colony’s first heavier-than- air flight. (Walloon is a native of the tract along the frontiers of France and Belgium.)
Left : Charles Van den Born, The Winged Walloon in proud pose with his Farman racer 1910.
Charles Van den Born
The Farman at Sha Tin.
(Photo: Cliff Dunnaway)
Charles Van den Born, the Henry Farman Company’s test pilot and instructor, had arrived on the steamer Donai. Accompanying him were three Farman Mark II biplanes, which could be dismantled into eight segments each. After lengthy negotiations the Hong Kong authorities approved his application to fly. They chose the Sha Tin area, doubtless satisfied that he could not spy on the Colony’s non-existent defences from there. A few months earlier they had refused American aviators a similar approval. I ponder why the Americans were a greater risk than a Belgian!
Vice-Regal Patronage
Site of Hong Kong’s first heavier-than-air flight
The daring Belgian had obtained Vice-Regal patronage, and for days the Colony’s main hotels displayed how one could get to the venue. The best method seemed the newly completed Kowloon-Canton railway that brought one within walking distance of the proposed take off point. The cost to witness the event ranged from 50 cents to three dollars. For the fearless a ride would cost $HK75. On that historic day hundreds left the comfortable Peninsula, the Hong Kong Hotel and other watering holes on special trains for Sha Tin Station. They arrived to the rousing music of Bandmaster Coke’s Rajput band. The Major General Commanding the Garrison escorted His Excellency Governor Sir Frederick Lugard and Lady Lugard to the reviewing dais.
Farman Bi-plane
The day proved a disaster for the spectators. Exercising their right to be fashionably late the Governor’s party delayed the train’s departure from Kowloon. Just as they settled into comfortable chairs a brisk 30-knot wind prevented the take off. As the daylight decreased the impatience of the Governor increased and he led his party from the scene. His action prompted the majority to follow suit. Soon after the train steamed from sight the wind dropped, and in the presence of some despondent buffaloes and a handful of Hakka peasants, the Farman took to the sky. This proved the Belgian’s ability to fly, a question much debated during the afternoon.
Right : 18 March 1911.Belgian Charles Van den Born’s Farman Mark 11 biplane climbs into the fading light of Tide Cove, Sha Tin. Wanda’s specifications: Length 47 feet 3 inches; Wing Span 43 feet; Weight 1,200 lbs. Body open framework, two landing skids, two pairs of wheels in front and a rear tail skid; Engine Seven cylinder Gnome rotary 50 hp, Prop one two-bladed mounted at rear of lower wing. (Photos and Specifications: Cliff Dunnaway HK Historical Aircraft Association)
About a week later Van den Born made another demonstration flight at Sha Tin. The few who came to see him witnessed the Colony’s first plane crash. Avoiding students playing on his landing area he struck the ground with a sickening thud. He escaped without injury, but his plane looked a pitiful sorry mess. With his repaired Wanda he left for Canton. There the Tartar General Fu Chi, Guardian of the Cantonese applauded every dive and bank. The day turned to tragedy when a republican assassin shot the General, which led to a flying ban in Canton.
Right : 18 March 1911.Belgian Charles Van den Born’s Farman Mark 11 biplane climbs into the fading light of Tide Cove, Sha Tin. Wanda’s specifications: Length 47 feet 3 inches; Wing Span 43 feet; Weight 1,200 lbs. Body open framework, two landing skids, two pairs of wheels in front and a rear tail skid; Engine Seven cylinder Gnome rotary 50 hp, Prop one two-bladed mounted at rear of lower wing. (Photos and Specifications: Cliff Dunnaway HK Historical Aircraft Association)
About a week later Van den Born made another demonstration flight at Sha Tin. The few who came to see him witnessed the Colony’s first plane crash. Avoiding students playing on his landing area he struck the ground with a sickening thud. He escaped without injury, but his plane looked a pitiful sorry mess. With his repaired Wanda he left for Canton. There the Tartar General Fu Chi, Guardian of the Cantonese applauded every dive and bank. The day turned to tragedy when a republican assassin shot the General, which led to a flying ban in Canton.
Alcock and Brown
In February 1920 members of the American Aerial Commission, which included a reserved Englishman named Brown, arrived in Hong Kong from Shanghai. The Commission came to invite the Colony to join a proposed Around-the-World Aerial Derby with staging point support.
Sponsored by the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce, Chairman S.H. Dodwell brought the meeting to order by introducing the guest speaker. With bubbling enthusiasm they accepted the Commission’s invitation and resolved to form The
Hong Kong Aero Club for Brown’s modest words left the meeting thoroughly enthralled.
Left : The First North Atlantic Fliers 1919 John Alcock (left) and Arthur Whitten Brown. Later King George V knighted them.
On 14 June 1919 a fuel modified wartime bomber with a 90 miles an hour cruise speed lifted off the stark airfield of St John’s, Newfoundland. Ahead of their Vickers Vimy biplane lay unknown weather and 1,960 miles of restless ocean. Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown had served with distinction in the war of 1914-18, however this mission would tax their courage to the limit. For hours they battled ice and sleet that jammed the ailerons and damaged the airspeed indicator. Suddenly there was a screech from his tortured engines. Ice had formed in the carburettors. The machine trembled, then dived, spinning out of control. Alcock used every trick he knew but with his airspeed indicator jammed at ninety he could only watch his altitude indicator winding away their lives. Without warning the plane hurled from the fog with enough forward visibility for him to break his cumbersome plane’s death plunge. His trembling tortured muscles regained full control with his wheels just inches from the boiling ocean. The wry voice of his navigator advised they were within 2 hours of a landfall. Alcock decided to make the rest of the flight under an overcast that rarely exceeded 20 feet above the sea.
Sponsored by the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce, Chairman S.H. Dodwell brought the meeting to order by introducing the guest speaker. With bubbling enthusiasm they accepted the Commission’s invitation and resolved to form The
Hong Kong Aero Club for Brown’s modest words left the meeting thoroughly enthralled.
Left : The First North Atlantic Fliers 1919 John Alcock (left) and Arthur Whitten Brown. Later King George V knighted them.
On 14 June 1919 a fuel modified wartime bomber with a 90 miles an hour cruise speed lifted off the stark airfield of St John’s, Newfoundland. Ahead of their Vickers Vimy biplane lay unknown weather and 1,960 miles of restless ocean. Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown had served with distinction in the war of 1914-18, however this mission would tax their courage to the limit. For hours they battled ice and sleet that jammed the ailerons and damaged the airspeed indicator. Suddenly there was a screech from his tortured engines. Ice had formed in the carburettors. The machine trembled, then dived, spinning out of control. Alcock used every trick he knew but with his airspeed indicator jammed at ninety he could only watch his altitude indicator winding away their lives. Without warning the plane hurled from the fog with enough forward visibility for him to break his cumbersome plane’s death plunge. His trembling tortured muscles regained full control with his wheels just inches from the boiling ocean. The wry voice of his navigator advised they were within 2 hours of a landfall. Alcock decided to make the rest of the flight under an overcast that rarely exceeded 20 feet above the sea.
Vimy Tipped On Her Nose
End of the historic flight Clifden,
Ireland. (Photos: Wonders of World
Aviation)
True to his estimate the masts of the Marconi Radio masts at Clifden, County Galway, Ireland, emerged ahead. His talented navigator, with just four observations, had brought him within 10 miles of their destination. Alcock circled what seemed a nice meadow, but it proved to be a bog. As the wheels caressed the surface the Vimy tipped on her nose. Yet who cared, they were unscathed and in 15 hours 57 minutes they had conquered the mighty North Atlantic Ocean, and an excited King George V dubbed them Knights of the Realm.
The enthusiasm to form The Hong Kong Aero Club remained at boiling point. Meetings were held under the auspices of the Chamber of Commerce with Mr. P.H. Holyoak in the chair. A membership drive attracted several with flying experience from the recent world war. Regrettably, when the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), the official body that regulated aviation events shelved the Around-the-World Aerial Derby the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce lost interest. Mr. Holyoak managed to retain the euphoria of the members when he told the meeting that the Governor, the Admiral of the Fleet, the Officer Commanding the Army, and the Commodore had become Patrons. When Charles de Ricou, the founder of the Macau Aerial Transport Company (MAT), based at Repulse Bay, added his interest the club’s success seemed assured. However, with no operating field, no club facilities and no planes the idea became stillborn and by 1926 had lapsed into a beautiful dream.
The enthusiasm to form The Hong Kong Aero Club remained at boiling point. Meetings were held under the auspices of the Chamber of Commerce with Mr. P.H. Holyoak in the chair. A membership drive attracted several with flying experience from the recent world war. Regrettably, when the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), the official body that regulated aviation events shelved the Around-the-World Aerial Derby the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce lost interest. Mr. Holyoak managed to retain the euphoria of the members when he told the meeting that the Governor, the Admiral of the Fleet, the Officer Commanding the Army, and the Commodore had become Patrons. When Charles de Ricou, the founder of the Macau Aerial Transport Company (MAT), based at Repulse Bay, added his interest the club’s success seemed assured. However, with no operating field, no club facilities and no planes the idea became stillborn and by 1926 had lapsed into a beautiful dream.
Captain Charles de Ricou
In June 1920, the Colony attracted a group of intrepid American aviators. Captain Charles de Ricou (Recoux), a French World War 1 ace, was their leader. With a fleet of war surplus seaplanes they set up headquarters at the palatial Repulse Bay Hotel. The water fronting the hotel had a clean clear depth ideal for floatplane operation.
His Macau Aerial Transport Company (MAT) proposed linking Canton Macau and Haiphong with Hong Kong. MAT’s prime source of income would come from Victoria, Hong Kong’s capital city, with their terminal next to the Star Ferry.
Inset: Charles Edmond William de Ricou, Croix de Guerre, during military service, Indochina, 1918.
Left: Aeromarine float plane beached at Repulse Bay. The famous Repulse Bay Hotel just off the right border. (Photos: Cliff Dunnaway.
Charles de Ricou’s initial submission of return flights to Macau brought immediate approval. However, the Government set harsh altitude restrictions that contributed to the demise of this visionary enterprise, and MAT disbanded with several of its pilots flying for China.
Before this happened, de Ricou ran afoul of the Chinese and Macanese governments. The Chinese Foreign Minister sent his secretary to question de Ricou. Why did he sell two planes to the rebel general, Chan Keung Meng? Why did his company’s planes fly to interior China without permission smuggling opium? Shortly afterwards de Ricou found himself standing before the Macao Chief of Police. In the manner of a despot the Chief demanded all future flights to China be abandoned.
On 11 July 1924 Charles Edmond William de Ricou, Croix de Guerre, returned to France where he became a successful businessman. During World War 2 he distinguished himself as a resistance leader. After a long illness he died in France on 21 December 1961.
His Macau Aerial Transport Company (MAT) proposed linking Canton Macau and Haiphong with Hong Kong. MAT’s prime source of income would come from Victoria, Hong Kong’s capital city, with their terminal next to the Star Ferry.
Inset: Charles Edmond William de Ricou, Croix de Guerre, during military service, Indochina, 1918.
Left: Aeromarine float plane beached at Repulse Bay. The famous Repulse Bay Hotel just off the right border. (Photos: Cliff Dunnaway.
Charles de Ricou’s initial submission of return flights to Macau brought immediate approval. However, the Government set harsh altitude restrictions that contributed to the demise of this visionary enterprise, and MAT disbanded with several of its pilots flying for China.
Before this happened, de Ricou ran afoul of the Chinese and Macanese governments. The Chinese Foreign Minister sent his secretary to question de Ricou. Why did he sell two planes to the rebel general, Chan Keung Meng? Why did his company’s planes fly to interior China without permission smuggling opium? Shortly afterwards de Ricou found himself standing before the Macao Chief of Police. In the manner of a despot the Chief demanded all future flights to China be abandoned.
On 11 July 1924 Charles Edmond William de Ricou, Croix de Guerre, returned to France where he became a successful businessman. During World War 2 he distinguished himself as a resistance leader. After a long illness he died in France on 21 December 1961.
My story was to continue with the activities of the first flying tenant Colonel Harry Abbott. However, before this I must, in the interests of historical accuracy, make these observations.
