It was an ordinary day. Checking TTOL (TravelTalkOnline), one of my favorite online forums dealing with Caribbean travel and adventure, when I came across a few posts dealing with takeoffs and landings at the Princess Juliana Airport in St. Maarten. This is one of the airports in the Caribbean that is listed on "Scariest Landings" and for good reasons. What is nice is that when landing on the island, passengers have no idea just how close the undercarriage of the plane comes to touching a chain link fence at the head of the runway since that can't be seen except by those in the cockpit of the plane. But, while sitting at one of the beach bars on either side of Maho Beach, the beach at the head of the runway, it is amazing that the planes don't touch the fence. Well, a few members of TTOL posted takeoffs and landings that recently happened and I just had to post them here for you to see and marvel at while wondering why anyone would want to visit the island of St. Maarten. Carol and I are well aware of the short runway and the fact that the fence is in the flight path of planes landing and taking off, but we also realize that airlines wouldn't fly into PJIA if it wasn't safe enough to do so. So, enjoy the videos as I have and marvel as to the skill and techniques needed and used by the pilots as they land and takeoff from the airstrip on the island known to all as "The Friendly Island." It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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