Aside from being one of the smallest islands divided among two nations (France and Netherlands), Saint Martin is a Caribbean hotspot known for its nightlife, exotic hotels, nude beaches, and planespotting population. Wait — one of those doesn’t quite fit. Planespotting?
MahoBeach — located on the western coast of Saint Martin — is situated at the end of the main runway at PrincessJulianaInternationalAirport, and planespotters and tourists alike flock to this thin strip of sand to get up close and personal with a jumbo jet in midair.
YouTube has a host of amateur videos, and I’ve scoured through the lot to find the cream of the crop. Have a look, after the jump:
Here’s a 747-400 flying over Maho Beach — it almost seems that anyone with a decent vertical leap could grab onto the wheel for a free ride to the airport.
Here’s that same plane from a different prospective.
…and a shot of some tourists getting sandblasted by the jetwash.
Here’s a view from the cockpit on arrival – it gives you a good idea of just how close the runway is to the beach. Note: there’s a naked mannequin at the end of this one, which may be NSFW.