1973 British Ministry of Defense Aviation Chart of Hong Kong

This is a 1973 British Ministry of Defense aviation chart of Hong Kong, piece of aviation history that sheds some light on British-Chinese relations during the 1970s. Thick dashed blue lines mark the outer limits of where military aircraft could fly and an inner flying boundary, likely the limit of civilian air traffic. The solid blue lines encircling Hong Kong indicate the Aerodrome Traffic Zone, a zone from ground level up to 2,000 feet meant to protect air traffic preparing to land at Kai Tak airport, which served both military and civilian aircraft. Topography, an ever-important aspect of flying, is indicated by contour lines and shading. Mountain peaks are labeled, and their elevations provided. Many of these are circled in manuscript, which is perhaps an indication that this chart was used by a pilot. Many locations are labeled either in Romanized Chinese or in Romanized Chinese and English. Content important to pilots is included along the right and bottom borders, with a faded stamp declaring that this map was for official use only and that if anyone felt it necessary to give a copy to a non-U.K. official, they had to get it cleared by Survey Branch first.

Publication History and Census

This map was created and published by the British Ministry of Defense in 1973. Examples of earlier editions of GSGS 5061 are catalogued in the OCLC but no examples of the 1973 edition are catalogued as being part of institutional collections.