The "Sharing My Hobby Of Photography" Story

People lined the road directly next to the runway at PJIA.
Some are waiting for a plane to take off while others are
pointed toward the water to catch the next landing plane.

It was an ordinary day.  The beach is packed and just about everyone in sight has a camera in their hand including me.  It may be a camera in their smartphone or a camera in their iPad or a sophicated DSLR camera with a mirade of settings, but they almost all have one or the other.  And ....... we're all pointed at the same thing!  

A Delta 747 landing with cameras pointed toward it.

The huge four jet engine Air France airplane that is coming right at us, lights shining strong, as we stand on Maho Beach in Sint Maarten.  Every year for the past 10 or so years Carol and I have made a journey to the island and every one of those year we always made a trip to the Sunset Beach Bar, which is at the end of the Princess Julianna International Airport, to see the planes land.  

Juliana Airport when it first opened to civilian flights in 1943.

Not all planes are as impressive as the quad-engine ones, but they all travel about 50 feet above the heads of those that line the beach to snap photos of them as they begin their landing on Runway 10 which is 7,150 feet long.  Signs declaring that the jet blast of departing and arriving aircraft can cause severe physical harm resulting in extreme bodily harm and/or death don't seem to be a deterent to anyone holding a camera.  

Airport as it appeared in 1960.

The airport was opened in 1942 as a military airport, but changed to a civilian airport the following year.  In 1964 it was remodeled and upgraded again in 1985 and 2001.  Constant changes still take place to make it one of the best as well as safest airports in the Caribbean.  In a recent Weather Channel report, they picked the top World's Scariest Airport Runways and Sint Maarten's (SXM) was the top pick for scariest.  

Renovations were made in 1985.

Their reasoning was due to the short runway length, planes on their final approach need to fly over the beach at minimal altitude, and the pilots have been known to become disoriented regarding their perceived altitude when operating under visual flight rules, since the approach to the runway is over water.

People feeling the effects of jet blast when a plane takes off.

 That and the fact that at times there may be topless bathers to distract them from their job.  I have friends who have talked with pilots who fly into PJIA and they say the runway is very safe, flat and modern.  Also say that the half-naked people on the beach are not a distraction since they are coming in close to 150 mph and are focused on their instrumentation.  The airport's safety record is perfect to back up that statement.  As for me, I enjoy so much taking the photos that as long as I return to Sint Maarten, you'll find be at the Sunset Beach Bar at least one of my vacation days.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - Check out a rather different YouTube video of an MD-80 cockpit crew preparing to land at PJIA.  

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