People actually stand in the jet wash here when a plane is taking off... I have seen people blown off their feet into the water from the hot wind!
BTW... we are there EVERY April...
If you don't believe it... go to Sint. Maarten yourself!

If your the photographer of THAT photo, then I am the pope.
Posted by dave on Mon Feb 23, 2004 at 07:48 PM


Dave, if you are the pope, then I'm President George Bush.

That photo is 100% REAL whether you like it or not. If you guys haven't been there, buy yourself a $400 roundtrip airfare and see for yourself, 'nuff said.

Well... 4 those who think the pic is a FAKE all i can say is come 2 my lovely island & see 4 urself! I go down 2 the beach every sunday & the airport is right in front of the beach, there is also a beach bar there, so when the plane lands, it sets right above the ppl who choose 2 stand there.. So like i said, check it out 4 urself, i KNOW its real.

ive been to st maartin. If this was fake than im G. Bush. I went for 3 days during thanksgiving just for the beach. Amazing site-especialy the daily Air France a340. 4 pina coladas+4 engines+a beach= me blown into the water with about 10 other people. heh,cant wait to go back

Those pictures are 100% real. I was there myself before. I sat on the beach and filmed planes coming in to land 30-40 feet over my head, even a KLM 747-400. This airport has been featured in airline magazines as the best place to view airplanes in the world.

I have read everyone's comments with great amusement! First of all, the photograph is real! I am a former combat pilot and can tell you the landing gears in the photograph are in the proper position. The landing gears on a 747-200, as well as other 747's, are multipositioned, that is the back of the gear (the tires) hangs down lower and then the front levels off as the aircraft lands. This is to allow a smoother landing. Also, I have been going to St. Maarten for over twenty years, four and five times a year. When a heavy aircraft lands, in particular a 747, it needs every inch of that small runway to land. The runway at SXM is only 7000 feet long. I have personally seen an Air France 747 actually run out off the end of the runway onto the grass. Before Air France used to stop in Martinique to get fuel, they would take off for France with a full load of fuel, every seat taken and the luggage compartments fulled to the max. It must have taken nearly all the runway to rotate (lift off) and after crossing Simpson Bay, it flew over Port DePlaisance where I was staying. As the plane banked to the right, I was looking right into the face of the second officer (co-pilot), the engines were at 106% of power, in essence putting their guts out, and the aircraft was between 600 - 800 feet in the air. I never liked Air France pilots, and this is one of the reasons why. A plane that is landing, perhaps at 120 - 140 miles per hours, will not create an air vortex that will pick up a car or even a person.
People like to stand at the very end of the runway and hang onto the fence when the aircraft take off. Sometimes they will get blown across the road! The only time I ever saw the police make the people move is when a Concorde took off.
If you want to see fantastic photo opportunities, spend a day there!

Bruce, well said and thanks for the insights!

You're all wrong, the plane is real it's the beach that's fake. Notice how the grains of sand lean to the left, but the wind is blowing to the right. What a give-away, I mean really, you'd think they would have checked this one, amateurs!

Oracle... I'm there every April... It's real... believe it!
if u don't believe it... see picx from the Sunset Beach Bar which is located at the end of the runway...
http://sunsetbeachbar.com/Members/Norbert/phot_1102630756/view

I am most certain the picture is real. I have stood right on that very beech and watched a prop plane come in with my son. We booth ducked.

Want to see almost the same thing in the states? go to Reagan (old National) Airport in Washington, DC... you can park in the spectator lot at the beginning of the runway... not quite as spectacular as SXM, but it will give you a sense of what SXM is like...

Of course its real! Ask the 75,000 people that live here on St. Maarten/St. Martin. Or the owners of the gajillion dollar business that sits at the end of the runway: http://www.sunsetbeachbar.com/

Hey all,
The photos and everything are real. I worked there, in the airport flying the police helicopter for the island. I have tonnes of photos and videos that would amaze most aviation enthusiasts. I think its one of the best places in the world to check out planes. The beach is great and the life is fantastic, and the people on the beaches dont give a shit about the planes and the noise, its all part of the atmosphere, and is fricking hilarious when they all stand on the beach to watch the airliners take off.
Check out some of the videos at this website.

http://www.flightlevel350.com/index.php?action=ad

Nah, don't even waste your breath. People are inherently stooopid and need to be there to believe it. Basically, people suck. Dammit, when is this waste of a world going to cease to exist??

It's real...

heres some video

http://www.killsometime.com/Video/vids/Beach-Landing.wmv

I wasn't doubting it, just saying people suck is all.

We all have a choice to believe it or not. I personnaly do. My question here (and concern) is what about when the planes take off? If the aircrafts take off in the direction on the beach, then the noise would be deafning, wouldn't it be? And the same for the oposite direction, right? I could be wrong. Often am.

Y the way, thanks for the blessing, Pope Dave! :cheese:

There's one born every minute ...

For the truly skeptical, this site has video footage of jets landing over the beach:
http://www.flightlevel350.com/search_videos.php?country=147

Check out this video if you want to see some spectacular St Maarten landings:

http://www.flightlevel350.com/viewer.php?id=3978

I am a Delta Air Lines pilot. I stumbled upon this site somehow and I am amazed that some of you don't believe this shot. I have never flown a 757 to SXM which is what Delta sends becasue my seniority isn't high enough but have been there on leisure. It does not look that low from inside the cabin but once you get on the beach it is quite amazing! Yes, the airplane is pretty much at idle when you come in on what we call 'finals'. We have to constantly adjust the throttle on finals to maintain a certain angle of attack and keep on glidesope. On minimums, which is generally right over the beach, we go to idle and ease her down. Great beach though! Visit delta.com and book your next trip.

First Officer Davison here again. Here is a link to Delta's landings at SXM on airliners.net Not quite that 747 but close.
http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?&airlinesearch=Delta Air Lines&maxres=500&keywords=SXM&keywrange=all&nr_of_rows=24&first_this_page=15&page_limit=15&sort_order=photo_id+DESC&nr_pages=2&engine_version=6.0

You obviously don't know what you're talking about - at least any of you who believe this is not true. How do you think these planes get down out of the sky? The don't magically appear on the runway! I have more pictures of this exact scene if you would like to see them. E-mail me @ "[email protected]" Thank you - Scott

BWAHAHAHA!!!!!! its so funny to read these posts thinking they're so smart and outsmarting all of those who've actually BEEN there...just do a frieken google search....Princess Juliana International Airport....haha man i had such a funny time reading this.

The last time I checked a 757, 747 and an airbus 340 cant land at a 7000ft runway. Yes the airport is that close to the water, yes those are still fake pictures. You can cut and paste whatever you want, photoshop does wonders.

Well I think you are either trying to continue stir up the crap or you are just as naive and stupid as the rest of the people who dont believe it all. All you have to do is check the timetable or airlines that serve this airport at th Princess Juliana International Website http://www.pjiae.com/ and that will confirm to everyone that this is all true - you dont need photos to verify this kind of thing.

Lol, no matter what you do, you can't get through to these a-holes who can't believe it. I'd photoshop my ass to their face, but it would be an improvement.

Don't suppose anyone's going to attempt to put an Airbus A380 down there 😛

If you think it is photoshop... download the pictures in photoshop... examine the layers and then tell me the pictures were doctored...
I have landed at PJIA every April since 2000...
I have sat at the bar at Sunset Beach Bar many times to watch the planes landing in SXM...
Before you say it is not real... go there yourself... then tell me it is a hoax...

I would love to see someone... anyone post a non-doctored picture of a plane landing at PJIA that contradicted any picture on this thread... to you non-believers... GO THERE YOURSELF!!!
If you don't...
Be content to live in your conspiracy laden, lied to, skeptical little world...
YES IT'S TRUE... THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PICTURES OF PJIA AIRPORT OUT THERE... ALL HAVE BEEN DOCTORED BY PHOTOSHOP!!! PICTURES & VIDEO'S ALIKE... IT IS A CONSPIRACY BY ALL WHO VISIT ST. MAARTEN!!! WE ALL SIGN AN AGREEMENT EVERY TIME WE VISIT SXM TO ONLY POST PICTURES THAT ARE FALSE!!!
SEE YOU ARE RIGHT!!! IT'S ALL BEING DONE TO YOU!!!
YOU ARE THE VICTIM!!! BOO-HOO... YOU'VE FIGURED IT ALL OUT!!!

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