Landing at Kai Tak airport was pretty cool.. it seemed that quite a bit of the final approach was below the level of the nearby apartments It was only ever the most experienced pilots who were allowed to land there, since there wasn't a lot of margin for error.

I think it's a go-kart track now, but I haven't been back since it was decommissioned as an airport.

Landing at HK is never easy... and yes, only the most experienced should be allowed to fly in and land there. The way the runway was aligned along with the distance from the airport to the main city... it's mind-boggling for me. But of course, this probably can pale in comparison to other insane airports out there.

Maybe someone out there knows it... but I'm wondering about this: for landing there, is there any flight path that takes you straight in, rather than turning almost 180 on the approach?

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I'm no means an expert but I used to live there in the 80s and 90s as my dad flew for Cathay Pacific and I've only ever heard of the one 'Checkerboard' approach. Flying the jump-seat into Kai Tak was a magical experience as a kid.

When I was still flying glider planes, we would do landings like those of up to 45 degrees regularly.
Yeah, it is as much fun as it looks. Though o the first time, it looks kinda scary, especially if you watch others do it. I almost peed my pants when I had to do it the first time, but after that it was just pure fun.

Pilot earned his money that day!

Ahh...those things practically land themselves!