Oh No! Its St Maarten time again
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Switzerland
Posts: 2
Oh No! Its St Maarten time again
Any of you professional pilots got any comments about this photograph, taken on the beach on the approach to Princess Juliana Airport of Saint Maarten in the Carribean? Looks a bit adjacent to me.

Apologies for the rather poor quality of the photo - it was scanned in from a page torn from a magazine.

Apologies for the rather poor quality of the photo - it was scanned in from a page torn from a magazine.
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: slightly left of you
Age: 40
Posts: 362
I don't think it's a fake actually. seen many piccies of st maarten and they all land pretty low over the beach. just look on some websites that post piccies and look for st maarten, and you'll se many of them.
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: EU
Posts: 262
True a guy with photoshop and too much spare time can do amazing things. This picture is of an approach into St. Maarten. Having flown into there at least a couple of times a year for the last fifteen, on a Boeing 747-300, it is an approach that lends itself to sneaking in a bit lower than normal. The runway is a shade over 2000 meters long. The approach is a VORD which gives good guidance, but the last bit is of course visual. The fence has been knocked down at the beginning of the runway on two occasions the last ten years. There are some amazing videos on the internet of widebodies leaving from there and blowing some of the locals into the sea, who were trying to hang onto the fence for fun. I am sure you can find them in other threads just search St. Maarten. Regards O.
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Join Date: Jul 1997
Location: Europe
Posts: 3,228
Already been covered ad nauseum on PPRuNe. Another 'recent' discussion in the latter part of this thread.
St Maarten
Or have a look at the bar from where you can take such pics, they have a few photos in their gallery
Sunset Beach Bar
St Maarten
Or have a look at the bar from where you can take such pics, they have a few photos in their gallery

Sunset Beach Bar
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: planet earth
Posts: 448
pass the threshold at 50ft?
Have a look at this !!!!!!!!!!
http://www.planepictures.net/netshow.php?id=359487
Captions please.
c130jb
http://www.planepictures.net/netshow.php?id=359487
Captions please.
c130jb
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: UK
Age: 56
Posts: 2,458
That's St. Maarten (SXM) in the Carribean.
Simply hundreds of photos like this of the place on airliners.net.
The threshold is literally the other side of the fence. There is high ground at the other end IIRC, just to add to the fun.
Anorak off, it's a bit warm today!
Edited to add caption "Heard there's some really top totty, we'll have a look on the way in"
Simply hundreds of photos like this of the place on airliners.net.
The threshold is literally the other side of the fence. There is high ground at the other end IIRC, just to add to the fun.
Anorak off, it's a bit warm today!
Edited to add caption "Heard there's some really top totty, we'll have a look on the way in"
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Middle East
Posts: 1,183
Having landed at that airfield on two occassions after our BVI frenzies and peered out the window at that very bar, it looks pretty possible to me!
But not sure what it has to do with the military forum.....
But not sure what it has to do with the military forum.....

Just another number
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: UK
Age: 73
Posts: 1,078
mgb
The gear is not being retracted or extended. That is the normal 'tilt' which, as well as allowing the gear to fit into the bay, also puts the aircraft into ground mode when it untilts on landing. Ground mode, amongst other things, allows full spoiler extension rather than the limited extension in flight. The aircraft has flap 30 set, so gear retraction in this configuration would cause a loud horn to sound on the flight deck.
Having seen many photos of this airfield, and flown with people who have operated there, I have no reason to believe that it is a fake.
Airclues
The gear is not being retracted or extended. That is the normal 'tilt' which, as well as allowing the gear to fit into the bay, also puts the aircraft into ground mode when it untilts on landing. Ground mode, amongst other things, allows full spoiler extension rather than the limited extension in flight. The aircraft has flap 30 set, so gear retraction in this configuration would cause a loud horn to sound on the flight deck.
Having seen many photos of this airfield, and flown with people who have operated there, I have no reason to believe that it is a fake.
Airclues
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: 39N 77W
Posts: 1,630
Surely real, though somewhat lower than typical. I think it's with a telephoto lens which distorts the distance. The usually-shown low approach is an AF 747 taken from the other side.
One of my favorites at SXM on A...... is looking down on a shiny American Airlines 757 from a top floor of the hotel beside the end of the strip. Transparent blue water, ahhh......
One of my favorites at SXM on A...... is looking down on a shiny American Airlines 757 from a top floor of the hotel beside the end of the strip. Transparent blue water, ahhh......
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Outer Space
Posts: 273
St Maarten Airport
http://www2.flightlevel350.com/videos/1126401463.wmv
I have just watched this video, does anyone else think the bizjet was a bit low !! Stunning departures though.
I think there is a car roof or two going to be attached to someones gear soon, if not worse.
I have just watched this video, does anyone else think the bizjet was a bit low !! Stunning departures though.
I think there is a car roof or two going to be attached to someones gear soon, if not worse.
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Formerly resident of Knoteatingham
Posts: 835
I operated into/out of SXM regularly a few years ago and it is a spectacular airport to fly into and out of. I think that a long lens has dramatised the effects a little ........ but only a little.
Hows the constabulary Slingsby?
Hows the constabulary Slingsby?