I really have no idea why people said that's
The Worst Beach in the World.
But at least I thought that's the best beach in the world, and also a good place for "airplane lovers" to visit.
Maho Beach is a beach situated in St
Maarten in the Netherlands Antilles, on the Dutch side of the island. The
location is known worldwide because of the Princess Juliana International
Airport that is situated immediately adjacent to the beach.
Incoming air traffic is known to
have to touch down as close as possible to the beginning of runway 10 due to the
short runway length of 2,180 metres/7,152 ft, resulting in low-flying aircraft
on their final approach over the beach. Due to these low flying airplanes
(including large passenger airliners such as the Boeing 747), the location is
very popular with plane spotters.
People standing on the beach may
also be blown into the water because of the jet blast from aircraft taking off
from runway 10. The beach can also experience large waves which makes it popular
with windsurfers and skimboarders. The local government warns that closely
approaching and departing aircraft can “result in serious injury and/or death.”
An additional fence has been added recently behind runway 10 to prevent
irresponsible tourists from hanging on to the main fence surrounding the runway
to be “blasted” by the aircraft engines’ flow.
As of 2008, it is one of the few
places in the world where one can view aircraft in their flightpath virtually
just outside the end of the runway. Watching airplanes over the beach is such a
popular activity that daily arrivals and departures airline timetables are
displayed on a board in most bars and restaurants on the beach, and the Sunset
Beach Bar and Grill has a speaker on its outside deck that broadcasts the radio
transmissions between pilots and the airport’s control tower. Sign warning
passers-by about the risks of jet blast.
The beach itself is white sand and
has little to no vegetation because of the jet blast erosion. The Caravanserai
Resort, the popular Sunset Beach Bar and other restaurants/night clubs such as
Bamboo Bernies and Bliss are located nearby.
Runway 10/28 was originally runway
09/27 which was changed as a result of geomagnetic alterations since the
original construction. This change occurred on November 1, 2008.
Did
you know Gibraltar 's
Airport runway and vehicular traffic crossings are at the same level?
These
are incredible pictures.
This puts a whole new meaning to the saying,
"Never run a red light!"
Please leave your comments below.
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