FLC OF B747-100 ON STRAIGHT IN DSCNT TO SFO RWY 1 HAS GPWS ACTIVATE. PULL UP ACCOMPLISHED AND RETURN TO APCH ACCOMPLISHED.

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FLT HNL-SFO B747-100. WX RPTED CLR; HIGH WINDS 340 DEGS/36 KTS GUSTING TO 40 KTS; OUTSIDE RECOMMENDED B747 XWIND LIMITS FOR RWY 28. SFO ATIS WAS RPTING VISUAL APCHS RWY 1R. LCL TIME WAS PREDAWN; BLACK NIGHT WITH NO MOON LIGHT. THE APCH WAS STRAIGHT IN FOR RWY 1R OVER THE RIDGE LINE W OF SFO. MINIMUM SAFE SECTOR ALT IS 3100 FT MSL. HIGHEST TERRAIN ON APCH PATH IS THE TOP OF THE RIDGE LINE 5 NM FROM THE END OF RWY 1R AT 1944 FT MSL; ONLY 1156 FT BELOW THE MINIMUM SECTOR ALT. NO VISUAL CLUES OF THE RIDGE LINE ARE AVAILABLE; ONLY A BLACK HOLE. THERE IS NO VISUAL APCH SLOPE INDICATOR (VASI) ON RWY 1R. THE DSCNT FROM 3100 FT WAS STARTED AT AN ESTIMATED 3 DEG GRADIENT. AT 2700 FT THE 'GPWS' WARNING SYS SOUNDED WITH 'TOO LOW TERRAIN; TOO LOW TERRAIN.' THE CAPT EXECUTED AN IMMEDIATE PULL UP AND THE WARNING STOPPED. HE THEN RE-ESTABLISHED A DSCNT PROFILE AND WE MADE AN UNEVENTFUL APCH AND LNDG. I BELIEVE A STUDY OF THE GEOMETRY OF THIS APCH; STARTED AT 3100 FT INSIDE 5 NM WILL REQUIRE AN UNACCEPTABLE HIGH DSCNT RATE AND WILL SET OFF THE GPWS. MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE TO PROHIBIT THE USE OF STRAIGHT IN VISUAL APCHS TO RWY 1R. IF; DUE TO HIGH WINDS; RWY 1R IS A NECESSITY; THEN AN APCH TO RWY 28 WITH A CIRCLE TO RWY 1R COULD BE MADE WITH THE STRONG CAUTION TO THE HIGH TERRAIN S OF THE APCH END OF THE RWY.