Saint Martin (around the island and Maho Beach planespotting)
Saint Martin/Sint Maarten is a Carribbean Island that is divided into two halves. It is located about 200 mi east of Puerto Rico, and obviously a major tourism destination and popular cruise line port of call.
The north half (Saint Martin) is French, and the southern half (Sint Maarten) is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Princess Juliana International Airport is the major airport on the island. The flight path for arriving planes passes directly over the publicly accessible Maho Beach, making it one of the world's most popular spots for aviation enthusiasts. It's also the reason my wife and I selected this cruise itinerary for our honeymoon!
View of Maho Beach and the runway from the Sunset Bar and Grill
A few shots of the island from our approach on the cruise ship
It's about a 15 minute taxi ride to Maho Beach
Our path took us through multiple roundabouts that surrounded sculptures
We eventually circled around the north side of the airport to reach Maho Beach
The signs don't scare people away
Arrivals of the largest planes are posted on the the board and on TV screens, both provided by the Sunset Bar and Grill
View from the bar
The beachgoers get ready for a departure
Large incoming Liat propeller plane (ATR 42-600)
Small planes like this one land pretty frequently...
...but the people in the flight path still get pretty excited.
Arrival of large jets is pretty infrequent, but exhilarating
Check out these reactions!
The rain storm followed this plane to Maho Beach, so we went to hide at the bar
A departing jet creates a strong blast
Hiding from the blast
Finally, the big one... an arriving Air France Airbus A340 (Tail No. F-GLZU)
yeah we've been down there a couple times. as crazy as that is, oddly it seems pretty normal when you are right there on the beach or nearby.
i think ive driven or ridden a motorcyle over every inch of that island and i strongly prefer the northern french side to the dutch side. i dont care for greasy casinos or shady jewelry shops, so its much more relaxed, better food and you can hop over to angullia easily as well. all the people are nice tho. a great vacation place, but i would rec going to an all inclusive resort to relax and staying put on the beach over exploring, there really isnt much to see other than that wild airport approach beach.
Here's one of the fastest takeoffs of a big jet I've ever seen (MD-11) (at St. Maarten.) Notice that after takeoff, the MD-11 goes up like an elevator!
Thanks for all these pics of Saint Martin and Maho Beach, MJPhilly!
This´s a very famous spotting place, probably the most one in the world. I´ve never been there, but I´d enjoy having the chance to experience the arrival of the KLM´s B-747-400 or the Air France´s A-340-300. It must be really unforgettable. I´m very enthusiastic about commercial aviation, and that´s probably the reason why I work for an airline (IB). I´ve seen so many pictures about landings in Saint Martin. Impressive place.
By the way, Saint Martin looks like a very exotic place to spend a honeymoon... Congrats for your marriage
Saint Martin (around the island and Maho Beach planespotting)
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