Page 86 - Cross Country Travel Guide 2019

South Lantau
The north east trade winds start to shift to
the south in March, the flying sites shift too.

South Lantau is a large island west of Hong
Kong. It’s joined to the mainland by a fast
bridge and is where Hong Kong International
Airport is.
Directly south of the airport are two peaks,
and on the south side of these peaks is the
flying site of South Lantau, separated into
two flying zones of east and west. In-between
is a no-fly zone (it is a helicopter corridor,
so cross it at your peril). Before flying you
must contact the Government Flying Service
(see HKPA website) and, like all the sites in

Hong Kong, you must not fly in cloud. Apart
from that it’s a perfect, large soaring site with
thermals on a sunny day. Landing is limited to
Upper Cheung Sha Beach; the large beach to
the east is off limits.
If you want to get hot and sweaty there are
trails, with a hard 45-minute hike-and-fly a
good option.
Photo: Martin Kostov

Pat Sin/Cloudy Hill

Pat Sin is a seldom-used site which is flyable
in a south wind in summer. The ridge is quite
long and can produce thermals as well as
ridge lift. If you want some exercise then this
is the place – it’s a sweaty two-hour hike,
which in the summer heat will test you (locals
recommend you take a minimum of two
litres of water). The views from the top are
outstanding.

Cloudy Hill is also a lesser-used southerly
site. Close to Pat Sin it is a challenging thermal
site with a height limit of 760m (2,500ft).
The launch area is sheltered with its own
conditions – conditions in the air can often be
different to what you feel on take-off.
After taking off head east for a mini-XC
from Cloudy Hill to connect with the Pat Sin

range. It is reachable from launch if you gain
sufficient height for the glide across.
The Hong Kong club is a friendly one and
welcomes new pilots and visitors. Bring your
wing if you are passing through!
Photo: Geoff Cattrall

86 CROSS COUNTRY TRAVEL GUIDE 2019 HONG KONG