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Planespotting in Saint Martin

by Justin Glow on Dec 19th 2006 at 12:29PM

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?

Maho Beach -- located on the western coast of Saint Martin -- is situated at the end of the main runway at Princess Juliana International Airport, 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.

Filed under: France, Netherlands, Airlines, Video

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Lawry Goldstein Dec 19th 2006 6:00PM

Landing this airport is a... horrible experience. I generally love planes and couldn't care less what a commercial airliner was doing (The planes can deal with far more than they are asked to do, so it's safe) - this time I was concerned. You land a very short way in from the ocean (25-500ft), from inside the cabin your feel like you are landing in the ocean, it’s just... odd.

Justin Dec 19th 2006 8:40PM

I bet, Lawry. There was a video from the prospective of a passenger, but when I went to find it again it was gone. I'd love to go to this island specifically to watch the planes fly in...though the beach would be nice too.

funchilde Dec 20th 2006 10:55AM

ho.lee.shiz. that just looks like trouble waiting to happen, no?

Rbigfatty Jan 9th 2007 2:13PM

Maho Beach is a must if you travel to St. Maarten.St. Martin. The beach is very clean and their is an eating area and bar attached to it. Its pretty cool laying on the beach or sitting at the bar watching a plane fly so close overhead. It makes great conversation.