GFS head office | |
Agency overview | |
---|---|
Formed | 1 April 1993 |
Preceding agency |
|
Jurisdiction | Hong Kong |
Headquarters | Hong Kong International Airport |
Motto |
|
Employees | 335 |
Annual budget | HKD 577.6 million (2016-17) [1] |
Minister responsible | |
Agency executive |
|
Parent department | Security Bureau |
Website | www |
Government Flying Service | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Traditional Chinese | 香港政府飛行服務隊 | ||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 香港政府飞行服务队 | ||||||||||||
|
The Hong Kong Government Flying Service (HKGFS) is a disciplined unit and paramilitary flying organisation of the Government of Hong Kong.
The service has its head office in,and operates from,the southwestern end of Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok. [2] Before the opening of the Chek Lap Kok airport in 1998,it operated from the old Kai Tak Airport,the former Hong Kong International Airport. GFS patrols as far as 700-nautical-mile (1,300 km) to the south,to include the Hong Kong Flight Information Region and the Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre area of responsibility,which covers most of the South China Sea basin.
The Government Flying Service was established on 1 April 1993,when Hong Kong was under British rule. [3] It then took over all the non-military operations of the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force (RHKAAF),which was an auxiliary unit of the United Kingdom Royal Air Force. After Hong Kong was handed over to the People's Republic of China in 1997,the GFS remained as a government unit of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,and is responsible for search and rescue (SAR),air ambulance,firefighting,and police operations. [4]
Starting in 2012,the GFS operates from the HKCEC heliport,adjacent to Golden Bauhinia Square. [5] The site is also open to commercial traffic. [6]
In August 2020,a GFS Bombardier Challenger 605 maritime patrol aircraft was believed to have assisted Chinese authorities in intercepting 12 Hong Kongers who were attempting to flee to Taiwan due to increasingly onerous conditions in Hong Kong and enhanced exit controls. The Hong Kong government denied that they had cooperated with Chinese authorities. [7] On December 21,2020,the United States Bureau of Industry and Security amended the Export Administration Regulations by adding a new ‘Military End User' (MEU) List,as well as the first tranche of 103 entities,which includes 58 Chinese and 45 Russian companies. Government Flying Service was added as one of 103 entities to the MEU List. [8]
In 2022,a new site at the southernmost corner of the former Kai Tak airport was opened,featuring one landing/takeoff pad,two parking pads,one repair hangar for the new Airbus H175 helicopter and an operations/office building. [9] The site had been earmarked since 2007 and planning permission was given in 2017 as part of the area's redevelopment, [10] [11] as well as limitations of new high rise buildings in the Tung Chung area near the existing base affecting marginal weather operations. The possibility of opening the base to commercial cross-boundary traffic has been raised since 2011. [12]
GFS consists of five divisions:
Helicopters can land on five highways in Hong Kong to attend to road related recovery operations. For long-range search and rescue operations,the GFS initially use fixed wing aircraft which then guide helicopters to the location. [3]
The GFS operates primarily from Chek Lap Kok airport,where headquarters and all fixed wing aviation is based. Some helicopters are based in the Kai Tak division and a helipad is available in Wan Chai next to the HKCEC.
Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Transport | |||||
Bombardier Challenger 600 | Canada | surveillance / SAR | CL-605 | 2 [13] | |
Diamond DA42 | Austria | surveillance / patrol | DA42 NG | 1 [13] | |
Helicopters | |||||
Airbus H175 | France | SAR / utility | 7 [13] | ||
Eurocopter EC155 | France / Germany | SAR / air ambulance | 4 [13] | ||
Eurocopter AS332 | France / Germany | SAR / fire suppressor | 3 [13] | ||
Trainer aircraft | |||||
Zlín Z 42 | Czech Republic | basic trainer | 1 [13] |
Standard equipment for GFS personnel is:
GFS employs 335 personnel: [14]
Most of the pilots in the GFS were localised prior to the handover in 1997,as former RAF and other British military personnel departed Hong Kong.
The GFS is led by a Controller,who reports to the Secretary for Security. The current Controller is Captain West WH WU.
Other senior officers of the GFS are:
Operations uniforms:
Dress uniforms: [19]
Prior to the creation of the GFS,the ranks within the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force were the same as the RAF. The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the transition to local staff in the RHKAAF in preparation for the civil transfer to the GFS role.
Ranking of personnel of the GFS are civilian aviation roles and are as follows:
Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Government Flying Service [20] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Controller | Chief Pilot Chief Aircraft Engineer | Senior Pilot Senior Aircraft Engineer Senior Aircrewman Officer | Pilot I Aircraft Engineer Aircrewman Officer I | Pilot I Aircraft Engineer Aircrewman Officer I | Pilot II Aircraft Engineer Aircrewman Officer II Chief Aircraft Technician | Pilot II Chief Aircraft Technician Senior Aircraft Technician Aircrewman Officer III | Cadet Pilot Senior Aircraft Technician Aircraft Technician Aircrewman Officer III |
Pilot II and Cadet Pilot ranks were created in the 1990s for local pilots with less flying experience.
List of past controllers of the GFS:
The current crest of the force was adopted in 1997, prior to which the Hong Kong Coat of Arms was used on GFS aircraft. The current is topped with the Hong Kong Bauhinia flower. In the centre of the crest is a navy blue (sometimes purple) and light blue roundel background. In the middle of the crest is a four bladed propeller, and a Chinese dragon in the front (similar to the RHKAAF crest). Along the bottom of the roundel are the letters GFS representing the english name of the service. Underneath the roundel are a pair of wings joined by a ribbon with the Chinese characters "政府飛行服務隊", the Chinese name of the service.
Hong Kong has a highly developed transport network, encompassing both public and private transport. Based on Hong Kong Government's Travel Characteristics Survey, over 90% of daily journeys are on public transport, the highest rate in the world. However, in 2014 the Transport Advisory Committee, which advises the Government on transportation issues, issued a report on the much-worsened congestion problem in Hong Kong and pointed at the excessive growth of private cars during the past 10–15 years.
Hong Kong International Airport is an international airport on the island of Chek Lap Kok in western Hong Kong. The airport is also referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport or Chek Lap Kok Airport, to distinguish it from its predecessor, the former Kai Tak Airport.
Kai Tak Airport was an international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. Officially known as Hong Kong International Airport from 1954 to 6 July 1998, it is often referred to as Hong Kong International Airport, Kai Tak, or simply Kai Tak and Kai Tak International Airport, to distinguish it from its successor, Chek Lap Kok International Airport, built on reclaimed and levelled land around the islands of Chek Lap Kok and Lam Chau, 30 kilometres (19 mi) to the west.
Shearwater Heliport, formerly known as Canadian Forces Base Shearwater and commonly referred to as CFB Shearwater and formerly named HMCS Shearwater, is a Canadian Forces facility located 4.5 nautical miles east southeast of Shearwater, Nova Scotia, on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Following a base rationalization program in the mid-1990s, the Canadian Forces closed CFB Shearwater as a separate Canadian Forces base and realigned the property's various facilities into CFB Halifax.
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1994.
Royal Air Force Kai Tak or more commonly RAF Kai Tak is a former Royal Air Force station situated in Hong Kong, at Kai Tak Airport, Kowloon. It was established by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1927 and used for seaplanes. The RAF flight operated a few land based aircraft as well as having spare aircraft for naval units.
British Forces Overseas Hong Kong comprised the elements of the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force stationed in British Hong Kong. The Governor of Hong Kong also assumed the position of the commander-in-chief of the forces and the Commander British Forces in Hong Kong took charge of the daily deployment of the troops. Much of the British military left prior to the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997. The present article focuses mainly on the British garrison in Hong Kong in the post Second World War era. For more information concerning the British garrison during the Second World War and earlier, see the Battle of Hong Kong.
The Shek Kong Airfield, formerly Royal Air Force Sek Kong or Sek Kong Airfield, is an airfield (airbase) located in Shek Kong, New Territories, Hong Kong.
The Aviation history of Hong Kong began in Sha Tin on 18 March 1911, when Belgian pilot Charles den Born 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 the arrivals hall.
Sky Shuttle Helicopters Limited is a helicopter service operator based in Macau. Formerly known as Helicopters Hong Kong Limited and before that as East Asia Helicopters, it operates helicopter routes between Macau, Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Sky Shuttle employs over 250 people.
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 United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, the unit was disbanded on 31 March 1993.
Pinal Airpark, also known as Pinal County Airpark, is a non-towered, county-owned, public-use airport located 8 miles northwest of the central business district of Marana, in Pinal County, Arizona, United States. Silverbell Army Heliport is co-located with Pinal Airpark. The heliport is a private-use military facility operated by the Arizona Army National Guard.
The Hong Kong Aviation Club is an aviation club which offers training on both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter to Private Pilot Licence Level. It was established in 1982 upon the amalgamation of the Hong Kong Flying Club, the Aero Club of Hong Kong and the Far East Flying Training School.
The Hong Kong–Macau Ferry Terminal is a ferry terminal and heliport, centrally located in Hong Kong. It is also known as the Macau Ferry Terminal, the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Pier or the Shun Tak Heliport, and has an ICAO code of VHST.
The Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal, also known as the Macau Maritime Ferry Terminal, Macau Ferry Terminal or Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Pier in Chinese, is a ferry terminal located at Porto Exterior, Sé, Macau, China.
Sha Tin Airfield was a small military airfield in Sha Tin, New Territories, Hong Kong, which had a single concrete runway. The airfield was located along the Shing Mun River and looked out to Tide Cove. The airfield served as a Flight location for most of the location's existence.
China Airlines Flight 605 was a daily non-stop flight departing from Taipei, Taiwan at 6:30 a.m. and arriving in Hong Kong at 7:00 a.m. local time. On 4 November 1993, the aircraft went off the runway and overran attempting to land during a storm. It was the first hull loss of a Boeing 747-400.
Ambulance Services in Hong Kong are provided by the Hong Kong Fire Services, in co-operation with two other voluntary organisations, the Auxiliary Medical Service and the Hong Kong St. John Ambulance.
Air France Asie was a subsidiary of Air France founded due to the legal status of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and territory disputes with the People's Republic of China in order to allow Air France to continue flying to Taiwan from France. It became the main carrier operating from France to Taipei after Air Charter stopped flying in 1998.
Government Flying Service 18 South Perimeter Road Hong Kong International Airport Lantau Hong Kong