View source for Shek Kong Airfield

{{Short description|Military airbase in New Territories, Hong Kong}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2020}}{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox airport
|name         = Shek Kong Airfield
|nativename   = 
|nativename-a = 石崗機場
|nativename-r = 
|ensign       = [[File:PLA Hong Kong Garrison sleeve insignia.png|100px]]
|image        = RunWayofShekKongAirfield.JPG
|image-width  = 260
|image_alt    = 
|caption      = approach view of Shek Kong Airfield runway
|IATA         = 
|ICAO         = VHSK
|GPS          = 
|WMO          = 
|type         = [[Air base|Military]]
|operator     = 
* {{air force|United Kingdom}} (1938–1997)
* {{air force|China}} (1997–present)
|opened       = {{Start date and age|1950|df=y}}
|city-served  = 
*{{flag icon|Hong Kong|1959}} [[British Hong Kong]]
:(1938–1997)
*{{flag|HKG|name=Hong Kong SAR}}
:(1997–present)
|location     = [[Shek Kong]], [[New Territories]], Hong Kong
|built        = {{Start date and age|1938|df=y}}<!-- military airports -->
|used         = <!-- military airports -->
|commander    = <!-- military airports -->
|occupants    = <!-- military airports -->
|elevation-f  = 50
|elevation-m  = 15
|metric-elev  = y
|coordinates  = {{Coord|22|26|11|N|114|4|50|E|type:airport_region:HK|display=inline,title}}
|website      = 
|pushpin_map           = Hong Kong
|pushpin_label_position= right
|pushpin_map_caption   = Location of Shek Kong Airfield in Hong Kong
|metric-rwy   = y
|r1-number    = 11/29
|r1-length-f  = 6250
|r1-length-m  = 1905
|r1-surface   = concrete / asphalt
|stat-year    = 
|stat1-header = 
|stat1-data   = 
|stat2-header = 
|stat2-data   = 
|footnotes    = 
}}
{{Chinese
|title=Shek Kong Airfield
|t=石崗機場
|s=石岗机场
|p=Shí Gǎng Jīchǎng
|y=Sehk gōng gēi chèuhng
|j=Sek6 gong1 gei1 coeng4
}}
[[File:ShekKongAirfield.JPG|thumb|Shek Kong Airfield]]
The '''Shek Kong Airfield''' ({{lang-zh|石崗機場}}, [[ICAO airport code|ICAO]]: '''VHSK''', formerly '''RAF Sek Kong''') is the sole [[List of People's Liberation Army Air Force airbases|airbase]] of the [[People's Liberation Army Air Force]] in the [[Hong Kong|Hong Kong SAR]], falling under the [[Southern Theater Command Air Force]], and is located in [[Shek Kong]], [[New Territories]].

The base currently houses air force units of [[People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison]] (PLAHKG), as well as previously being open for restricted civilian use during weekends.

==RAF base (1938-1997)==
Before the [[British Hong Kong|British]] [[handover of Hong Kong]] to [[China]] in 1997, the airfield was used by the [[British Forces Overseas Hong Kong]], and was then a [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) [[List of former Royal Air Force stations|station]], officially known as  '''Royal Air Force Sek Kong''', commonly abbreviated '''RAF Sek Kong'''.  Construction started in {{Start date and age|1938|df=y}}, but ceased from 1941 to 1945 and was completed only in {{Start date and age|1950|df=y}} due to the [[Japanese occupation of Hong Kong]] during [[World War II]].

From 1989,<ref name=SCMP1989>{{Cite web|last1=Griffin|first1=Kathy|last2=Tam|first2=Bonny|date=18 June 1989|url=http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/02_09.15/129081.pdf|title=Local march to show anger at Viet policy|website=sunzi1.Lib.HKU.hk|publisher=[[South China Morning Post]]|via=University of Hong Kong Libraries|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528031059/http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/newspaper/view/02_09.15/129081.pdf|archive-date=28 May 2008|access-date=28 May 2021|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> to 1993,<ref name=Getty>{{Cite web|last=Stoddart|first=Tom|date=1 January 1989|url=https://www.GettyImages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/young-vietnamese-refugees-at-the-shek-kong-airfield-in-shek-news-photo/151305975|title=Shek Kong Camp - Young Vietnamese refugees at the Shek Kong Airfield in Shek Kong, Hong Kong, 1993.|website=www.GettyImages.co.uk|publisher=Tom Stoddart Archive / Hulton Archive / [[Getty Images]]|access-date=28 May 2021}}</ref> RAF Sek Kong was also a [[Vietnamese people in Hong Kong|Vietnamese Refugee]] Detention Centre. From 1989, the base was also a refugee centre for [[Vietnamese boat people]] arriving in Hong Kong.<ref name=SCMP1989/>  At the peak in 1992, the centre hosted 9,000 refugees.<ref name=Getty/><ref name=NYT>{{Cite web|last=Basler|first=Barbara|date=4 February 1992|url=https://www.NYTimes.com/1992/02/04/world/18-vietnamese-die-in-violence-at-refugee-camp.html|title=18 Vietnamese die in violence at refugee camp|website=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=28 May 2021}}</ref>  During the time as a refugee centre, half the runway was closed and used for temporary housing (mainly tents, and some [[Quonset hut|quonset]] huts).<ref name=NYT/>  As a result, only rotary aircraft operated from the base.  The refugee centre closed in 1993 and the runway was restored for use by fixed wing aircraft.

Whilst still under Royal Air Force operation, the [[Hong Kong Aviation Club]] (HKAC), Hong Kong's private recreational flying organisation,<ref name=High-flyers/> moved most of its aircraft to Shek Kong in 1994.  This was after the hours for general aviation (GA) at [[Kai Tak Airport]] (then the international airport for Hong Kong) were sharply reduced, to two hours per morning (07:00 to 09:00), as of 1 July that year.<ref name=Gilbert/>

At RAF Sek Kong, the [[Royal Air Force]] operated a small force of a single [[List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons|squadron]] from 1950 to 1996.  It was a permanent assignment, with personnel and their families living in Sek Kong for three-year tours of duty.  The [[Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force]] (RHK AuxAF) was also a permanent air force unit in [[Hong Kong]].

A partial list of [[List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons|RAF squadrons]] stationed at RAF Sek Kong before 1997:
*[[No. 80 Squadron RAF]]: 3 January – 1 February 1950, 7 March – 28 April 1950
*[[No. 28 Squadron RAF]]: 1 May – 7 October 1950, 28 March 1951 – 15 August 1955, 5 December 1955 – 14 June 1957, 17 May 1978 – 1 November 1996
*[[Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force]] 1979–1993

A list of RAF aircraft stationed at RAF Sek Kong:
{|class=wikitable
!builder / model!!type!!number!!dates!![[List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons|operator]]
|-
|[[Supermarine Spitfire]] F.24||fighter|| ||1949–1951||[[No. 80 Squadron RAF]]
|-
|[[de Havilland Vampire]]||fighter|| ||1951–1954|| 
|-
|[[de Havilland Hornet]]||fighter|| ||1951–1955||[[No. 80 Squadron RAF]]
|-
|[[Westland Wessex]]||helicopter|| ||1978–1996||[[No. 28 Squadron RAF]]<ref name=660SqnSCMP/>
|}
With a Vietnamese refugee camp using the runway from 1989<ref name=SCMP1989/> to 1993,<ref name=Getty/> the base hosted only helicopters after 1989 until the runway was reinstated in 1995.  However, no fixed wing aircraft of the RAF used the runway before the base was closed in 1996.{{Cn|date=November 2024|reason=Simple Flying removed: https://simpleflying.com/hong-kong-shek-kong-airport-history/}}

<gallery>
RAF Sek Kong Jul 1983.jpg|RAF Sek Kong 1983
Wessex Sek Kong.jpg|[[Westland Wessex]] of [[No. 28 Squadron RAF]]
660 Sqn Scout 1983 Ping-Chau.jpg|[[Westland Scout]] of [[No. 660 Squadron AAC]]
RHKAAF Dauphin.jpg|Dauphin of RHKAAF</gallery>

The [[British Army]] also operated a squadron of [[helicopter]]s at RAF Sek Kong from 1970 until 1993, performing observation / [[reconnaissance]] and troop-lifting roles on the Hong Kong to mainland Chinese border, and supporting the army on exercises.  The [[Army Air Corps (United Kingdom)|Army Air Corps]] (AAC) unit was heavily involved in stemming the flood of illegal immigrants from mainland China.  [[No. 660 Squadron AAC]] operated from 1978 until the end of 1993.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://British-Army-units1945on.co.uk/army-air-corps/squadrons-3/660-squadron.html|title=660 Squadron|website=British-Army-units1945on.co.uk|publisher=British Army units from 1945 on|access-date=28 May 2021}}</ref>  The AAC squadron, 50 years old at the time, was the last overseas unit using [[Westland Scout]] helicopters.<ref name=660SqnSCMP>{{Cite web|last=Clarke|first=Rachel|date=15 October 1993|url=http://www.SCMP.com/article/47845/660-squadron-named-first-unit-disband|title=660 Squadron named as first unit to disband|website=www.SCMP.com|publisher=[[South China Morning Post]]|access-date=28 May 2021}}</ref><ref name=REME>{{Cite book|last1=Kneen|first1=J. Michael|last2=Sutton|first2=D. John|date=1 January 1997|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e9yXAwAAQBAJ&dq=660Squadron&pg=PA331|title=Craftsmen of the Army: The Story of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Vol II 1969-1992|publisher=[[Pen and Sword Books|Pen & Sword Books Limited]]|pages=327, 331–332|via=[[Google Books]]|access-date=28 May 2021|isbn=1473813409}}</ref>

;Support equipment
{|class=wikitable
!Manufacturer / Model !!Type!!Number!!Dates!!Details
|-
|[[Bedford Vehicles|Bedford]]||[[Bedford RL|RL tipper truck]]|| ||1980s–1990s|| 
|-
| Later model [[Thornycroft Antar]] (pre-1984) and [[Scammell#Commander tank transporter|Scammell Commander]] (post 1984) ||tank transporters (tractor and trailer) || ||1980s–1990s|| By [[Gurkha Transport Regiment]]<ref name=REME/>
|}

==PLAAF base, 1997–present==
After the [[handover of Hong Kong]] in 1997, Shek Kong airfield became a [[List of People's Liberation Army Air Force airbases|PLAAF airbase]]. The [[People's Liberation Army Air Force]] (PLAAF) has had a small presence in [[Hong Kong]] since 1997.  There is one PLA unit stationed in Shek Kong:
*[[PLAAF Helicopter Regiment 39968]]
**[[Hong Kong Special Aviation Unit]] — transport
{|class=wikitable
!builder / model!!type!!number!!dates!!details
|-
|[[Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation|HAMC]] [[Harbin Z-9]]B||[[utility helicopter]]s||12||1997–present|| 
|}
The PLA ground and naval forces also use Shek Kong, mainly for training and Open Day use.

With the PLAAF operating helicopters, the runway is mostly used for civilian fixed wing aircraft.  There are four 'H's marked along the runway for the [[Harbin Z-9]]Bs to land, and avoided the need to create helipads at the base.

It is currently used by the [[People's Liberation Army]] (PLA) during the week but, during weekends, members of the [[Hong Kong Aviation Club]] (HKAC)  use to be allowed to use the airport facilities for operation of private aeroplanes and to conduct private [[flight training]].<ref name=Gilbert>{{Cite web|last=Gilbert|first=Andy|date=22 August 1994|url=http://www.SCMP.com/article/85610/aviation-club-takes-sek-kong|title=Aviation club takes off for Sek Kong|website=www.SCMP.com|publisher=[[South China Morning Post]]|access-date=28 May 2021}}</ref><ref name=High-flyers>{{Cite web|url=http://www.SCMP.com/article/718191/high-flyers-have-licence-thrill|title=High-flyers have licence to thrill|website=www.SCMP.com|publisher=[[South China Morning Post]]|date=26 June 2010|access-date=28 May 2021|quote=For anyone who has ever dreamt of flying, the first step to getting your wings is to join the Hong Kong Aviation Club (HKAC), the city's only flight training centre.[...]  The Shek Kong Airfield is used by the People's Liberation Army during the week, with permission given to the club to use it during weekends.}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Hong Kong|Aviation}}
*[[List of airports in Hong Kong]]
*[[List of Royal Air Force stations#Former Overseas RAF Stations|Former overseas RAF Stations]]
*[[List of People's Liberation Army Air Force airbases]]
*[[Hong Kong Aviation Club]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Shek Kong Airfield}}
*[http://www.Helis.com/database/go/hk_sek_kong.php Helicopter Database - HK Sek Kong]
*[https://archive.today/20000829121229/http://www.HKStar.com/~cchris/hkgsk.html Sek Kong]
*[http://www.RAF.MoD.uk/history_old/histories.html History of RAF]
*[https://RAFweb.org/Stations/Stations-S.htm#Sek%20Kong Crest Badge and information of RAF Sek Kong]
*[http://AviationClub.hk Hong Kong Aviation Club（HKAC)]

{{Hong Kong topics}}
{{Yuen Long District}}
{{Structure of the People's Liberation Army Air Force}}
{{People's Liberation Army}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Military of Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Chinese Air Force bases]]
[[Category:Shek Kong]]
[[Category:Airports in Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Military airbases established in 1950]]
[[Category:1950 establishments in Hong Kong]]