AIRPORTS AND LANDING STRIPS

Background music to this page can be controlled here.
"As Time Goes By", Liberace
<bgsound src="As Time Goes By_06.mp3" loop=infinite>

From I Flew For China (1942) by Royal Leonard, page 234:
"I carried a total of fourteen passengers and my three crew members all over China to
make a complete survey of all the airfields, public, private, secret, and military,
there being approximately two hundred of these.
We also looked at possible sites for new airfields."

And then I came across a document which I think belonged to Co-Pilot, Eddie Wu
CNAC Radio Facility Chart, September 1, 1947

February 1, 2020
I received the following input from Chris Bull who is the current CNAC President and the son of CNAC Captain Giff Bull.

"I was looking at the airport section of the website (for Suifu pictures - thanks for posting them).

A system now run by IATA starting roughly in 1947, developed the three letter codes for airports.
However, that three letter system replaced the earlier system using two letter codes.
All WW II and earlier airports and radio ranges used only two letter codes.
Here are the ones I know, based on notes in my dad’s “little Black Book".

Dinjan = RH (CNAC base in Assam India)

Following are AAF bases near Dinjan in India:
Chabua = VG
Sookerating = OH
Sadiya = OR (* not airport, rather a Direction Finder radio) Mohanbari = KC Moran = LX Jorhat = PW Tezpur = YP Misamari = QK Ledo = ZA

On route (* is radio station only, others have airports) Pangsau Pass = MD * Shinbwiyang = CR (later radio DF = BM?) Fort Hertz = DH * Tingkawk = ID Myitkyina = FC Myitkyina North = YO Paoshan = SW Tengchung = UW Yunglung = YU * Yunnani = BJ Tsuyung = IX

Kunming = RQ (roger queen) (Yunnan, China)

Following are alternate airports near Kunming:
Chengkung = DB
Luliang = IM
Chanyi = CY
Yangkai = CP

Farther north points:
Suifu (Ipin) = VM
Chengtu = CU
Chungking = RB

Other:
Sahmaw = FJ
Mangshi = XU
Bhamo = CN

Thanks,

Chris"

And now the three letter designations...
Amoy
Anking
(BKK)
Bangkok
(CCU)
Calcutta, India
Dum Dum Airport
(CAN)
Canton
Changan
(Sian)
Chekiang
Chengchow
Chengtu
Chinchow
(CKG)
Chungking, China
San Hu Pa
(DJN)
Dinjan
Assam, India
Balijan Airport,
a small dirt strip near Dinjan.
(FOC)
Foochow
(Is Minhow the
same as Foochow?)

(GUM)
Guam
Haichow
Haikow,
on Hainan Island
(HMI)
Hami,
in the Gobi Desert.
Hankow
(HAN)
Hanoi
(HKG)
Hong Kong
Kai Tak 1936 - 1998
(HKG)
Hong Kong
Kai Tak 1998 - to today
(HNL)
Honolulu
Ichang
Kiangwan
Kiukiang
(KMG)
Kunming
6,200 Feet Elevation
Kweilin
Kweiyang
(LHW)
Lanchow
(LSH)
Lashio
(LKG)
Likiang
Lunghwa Airport
Minhow
(MYT)
Myitkyina
Namyung
(NKG)
Nanking
(now Nanjing)
(NNG)
Nanning
Nanshiung
Peiping
(PEK/BJS)
Peking
Paoli
(PAO)
Paoshan
(RGN)
Rangoon
(SFO)
San Francisco
(SHA)
Shanghai
Lunghwa Airport
(SHS)
Shasi
(IPN)
Suifu (Ipin)
Swatow
Suchow
(TPE)
Taipei
(TYN)
Taiyuan
(TSN)
Tientsin
(TYO)
Tokyo
Tsingtao
(AWK)
Wake Island
Wanhsien
Wenchow
Wuchang/e
(WUH)
Wuhan
(YUN)
Yulin
(code is now UYN)
(YYI)
Yunanyi
Yungkia

Sources: IATA-International Air Transport Association
Airports of the World by John Stroud, 1980 and
Catalogue of the First Flight Covers 1949-1995 by Arthur Galnzmann, 1996


Back to CNAC Home Page