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                                        CARIBBEAN AIRPORT WILL BOWL YOU OVER
David Ellis
IT’S one of the most-beautiful and also most-visited islands in the Caribbean, but there’s a beach there that you need to give a big miss to if you’re looking for somewhere to enjoy the sea and sun in peace and quiet.
Because this beach is just over the road from the end of the main runway of Princess Juliana International Airport on Saint Martin Island, and jumbo jets as large as Boeing 747s roar over it a mere ten to fifteen metres above the sands when arriving or departing – some 61,000 aircraft in and out every year, ranging from those big international jets, to little half-dozen seat island-hopper propeller jobs.
And camera-toting beach-goers and simply thrill-seekers will gather on the sands directly under the big jets’ fly paths to brave-out being hit by the cyclonic 160kph blasts from the screaming engines… many often being bowled head-over-heels along the beach or even into the sea by those blasts.
In fact in just July of this year, a 57-year old New Zealand tourist died when she was blown head-first into a concrete block on the beach – the first person to lose their life on the island to a jet’s blast.
Saint Martin is just 87 square kilometres in size, with a little over half still a Constituent Country of the Netherlands named Sint Maarten, and the remainder an Overseas Collectivity of France and spelt Saint-Martin, and the whole referred to officially in English as Saint Martin.
And small as it is, it’s Princess Juliana Airport handles an amazing 1,000,000-plus visitors annually who come to enjoy the island’s average 27 degree days, sunny beaches, coral- and cave-diving, exceptional duty-free shopping, dining that is big on seafoods and barbecues, and night-time dancing to calypso rhythms.
And being bowled-over by the 160kph blast of jet-plane engines…
PHOTO:
HOW low can you go, a passenger jet is almost within reaching distance of beach-goers as it comes in to land on Saint Martin’s Princess Juliana International airport just over the road from the beach. (Destination St Martin)
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  • Destinations - Australia
    • Alice Springs
    • Green Island Qld
    • Palm Cove
    • Yeppoon QLD
    • Reptile Park
    • Sapphire Coast
    • Mollymook
    • Hyde Park Barracks
    • Palm Cove Social Club
    • Kangaroo Island
    • Aussie Country Towns
    • Escape to Australia
    • Lord Howe Island
    • Rottnest Island
    • Vibe Hotel Darling Harbour
    • The Public Silo Trail WA >
      • Coober Pedy SA
    • Brisbane Calile
    • In awe of the Kimberley
    • Hunter Gatherings
    • Pacific Hotel Cairns
    • Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours
    • Kangaroo Island
    • Sunshine State
    • Kimberley Coast
    • The Kimberley and Mitchell Falls
    • Forget Bali - Go Bush
    • Barcaldine
    • Tap and Go Sydney
    • Port Douglas
    • The Outback and fascinating Lava Tubes at Undara.
    • Darwin
    • Brisbane Grand Ladies
    • Brisbane to Townsville >
      • Citadines Sydney Airport
    • Mudgee
    • Kimberley Coast
    • Mudgee's Blue Wren Winery
    • Uber Cool Brisbane
    • Southern Highlands NSW
    • Perth Day Cruise
    • Lord Howe - Return to Paradise
    • Broome
    • The Hydro Majestic Hotel
    • O'REILLY'S
    • Sealink Swan River
  • Travel
    • Destinations - Overseas >
      • Yamoto The Battleship
      • Tierra Tourismo
      • Ascott The Residence
      • Ireland
      • Disneyland Resort
      • African Elephants
      • Guernsey
      • Salzburg
      • Austria's Silent Night
      • Ethiopia
      • Yorkshire
      • Bryce Canyon
      • Macao
      • Dubai Taj
      • Destination India
      • Return to Sri Lanka
      • Nepal
      • The Balkans Tour
      • Disney Star Wars
      • Destinations - Asia
      • Indian Motorbike
      • The Falkland Islands
      • Rajasthan
      • Marrakech
      • Ganges Odyssey
      • Hokkaido
      • Würzburg
      • Samoa
      • Tripura India
      • Hong Kong Park Lane
      • A Day in Hong Kong
      • Zagreb Croatia
      • Paris Mercure
      • Majorca
      • Dubai
      • Croatia
      • Flanders
      • Wales
      • Switzerland
      • Morocco Part 3
      • Morocco Part 2
      • Ireland's Movies
      • Morocco Part 1
      • Milwaukee
      • Hong Kong Peak Tram
      • India's Golden Triangle
      • Destination USA & Canada
      • Peru's Colca Valley
      • Destination Africa
      • Samoa Paradise
      • Italy
      • Jasper Canada >
        • Cuba Cars >
          • Thai Market
          • Sri Lanka
          • Caribbean Airport
      • Antarctica
      • Kuala Lumpur
      • Cuba >
        • The Netherlands
      • P&O Samoa
      • Destination Europe
      • British Columbia
      • Winnipeg Canada
      • Thailand
      • The Canadian
      • Ghana Bikes
      • Finland
      • Malaysia Medical
      • Finland 'Escape'
      • Stockholm
      • Deadwood, USA
      • Helsinki cool
      • South & Central America
      • French Village
      • Alaska 101
      • Samoa Win
      • Vietnam
      • Cumbria England
      • Doha Qatar
      • Ottawa
      • Tokyo Disney 1 >
        • Tokyo Disney Part 2
        • Tokyo Disney Part 3
      • Hong Kong
    • LUXURY RESORTS >
      • The Havannah Vanuatu
      • Paul Gauguin Cruises 2020 brochure
      • Back-Roads Touring Film Locations >
        • Adina Brisbane
      • Pan Pacific Hotels
      • Novotel Century Hong Kong
    • TRAINS >
      • Yorkshire Train
      • Eurail >
        • Eurail New Free App
      • Canada Rail
      • The Ghan
      • Portugal Rail
      • China's Trains
    • Airline Reviews >
      • Hawaiian Airlines
      • Fly Rex
      • Cathay Pacific A350-1000
      • Air Asia
      • Cathay Pacific Menu
      • Cathay Pacific Business
      • CMV Vasco da Gama
      • Scoot to Berlin
      • Costa Rica Lindblad
      • Airbus A350 1000
      • The Rhine Part 1
      • Airbus
      • Tigerair Australia
      • Finnair
      • Asiana Airlines
      • Flying Finnair to Europe
      • Business Class with Cathay
      • Finnair
      • Singapore Airlines
      • Air France Business Class
      • British Airways
  • CRUISING
    • Norwegian Cruise Lines
    • Princess Explorer >
      • SeaDream Visits Elba
      • MSC Bellissima
    • ms Volendam >
      • Cunard Queens
      • Rivers will boom
    • CroisiEurope >
      • SeaDream A Seven-Day Dream >
        • Cruising
        • Sailing the Orient
      • msNoordam >
        • CroisiEurope
        • SeaDream Wins Again
        • Riviera Cruises
        • Rhine Part 3
      • Sunborn Yacht Hotel
      • Riverboats
      • AMERICAN STEAMBOATS >
        • HAL Latest
        • Voyager of the Seas
    • Paul Gauguin Cruises Tahitian Dreaming
    • Silversea NZ Part 1 >
      • Lake Geneva Part 2
      • Avalon Waterways
    • Majestic Princess
    • Sun Princess
    • Silja Line
    • Pacific Jewel
    • Norwegian Jewel
    • Azamara >
      • Bordeaux and Riverboats
      • River Cruises >
        • CroisiEurope
    • Diamond Princess >
      • Multigenerational Cruising
      • MSC Grandiosa
      • China Shore Tour
    • Blue Lagoon Cruises
    • 14-day Baltic cruise on the Celestial Eclipse. >
      • Captain Cook Cruises Fiji
    • Lake Geneva Part 1
    • CroisiEurope Rhine River >
      • Rhine Part 2
    • Riviera Cruises
    • What's New >
      • PNG with P&O >
        • Holland America Line
        • Crystal's 2019 Collection of Globetrotting Voyages
      • Paul Gauguin Cruises 2021
      • New Vibe Hotel for Sydney
      • Back Roads Touring
      • Henty CoPilot
      • Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam >
        • Mekong Riverboat
        • MSC Seaside
        • MSC Opera
      • Princess Cruises Australia
    • SeaDream Memories
    • Volendam
    • Silversea NZ part 2
  • CARAVANS & RV
    • Caravans Rule!
    • YaMate Insect Repellent
  • GROUP TOURS & EVENTS
    • Gambaro Hotel
    • Nossa Festival
    • Noosa Food and Wine Feastival
    • TravelComfort
    • Canberra Wine Food
    • Puglia with Lyndey Milan
    • Sydney Microbrewery
    • Back-Roads Touring Goes USA
    • Noosa Wine and Food Festival
    • BBQ Beer and BS
    • Cuisines of France and Mexico
    • Wine with David Ellis
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • Canon EOS R
    • Canon EOS200D
    • Canon EOS M 50
    • Inflighto
    • Canon - PowerShot SX730 HS
    • Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III >
      • Shoulder Bag
    • Travel Light
    • Firefly
    • My Flight Hammock
    • LG Stylus DAB+
    • Paklite
    • Navman >
      • Flight Kit
      • Eyeglasses
      • Listen Wireless Headphones
      • Rigon Headwear >
        • Travel Sickness
    • Lonely Planet Wellness
    • Motorola
    • New From Nikon
    • Flight testing the Focal Headphones
    • Samsung Camera
    • Nokia Lumia 925- WOW
    • The New Paklite Collection
    • New from Samsonite >
      • Seaquatix
    • 5 Suitcase Essentials for Arthritis Sufferers
    • Mature Traveller's ARE SEXY
    • Room hangables
  • Books
    • Penguin Books
    • Captain Cook's Epic Voyage
    • In Her Footsteps
    • Riptides
    • The Drover's Wife
    • Who Owns History
    • Lonely Planet Dark Skies
    • Latest Lonely Planet Kids
    • Lonely Planet The Universe
    • Win BIG with Lonely Planet
    • Conversations in the Kitchen
    • The Rescue Dog
    • Lonely Planet Kids’ Atlas of Monsters and Ghosts
    • Welcome to your period
    • Flight to Fame
    • Long Flight Home
    • The Daredevil’s Guide to Outer Space
    • Hush Hush
    • The Last Elephants
    • Home at Last
    • Lonely Planet Kids Stickers
    • Rome Precincts
    • The Ink Stain
    • Storm Boy
    • Muttshots
    • King of the Air
    • Steam Australia
    • More Lonely Planet Kids
    • Australian Birds
    • Lonely Planet Atlas
    • The Rescuers >
      • NSW Central Coast
    • Lonely Planet Kids
    • Six Decades of Holden V Ford
    • Teida's Story
    • Take Back Australia Mark Latham
    • Hardie Grant Books
    • New Holland Publishers
    • The Pacific In the Wake of Captain Cook
    • Bill Lawry
    • Endeavour
    • In the Valley of the Blue Gums
    • Political Correctness
    • Heros of Hamel
    • Lonely Planet’s Cruise Ports
    • The Last 100 Days
    • Against The Odds
    • How to win a Noble Prize
    • Child of Africa
    • Where the Murray River Runs
    • Moment of Thruth
    • Lonely Planet Kids
    • Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2018
    • A Short History of Golf
    • Freedom’s Salesman
    • Mark Latham
    • Lonely Planet Kids
    • A Hard Place
    • A Haunting Place
    • Big Boys’ Toys
    • Fly Fishing
    • Stealth Raiders
    • Hero or Deserter?
    • GOLF RESORTS OF THE WORLD
    • THE CHARGE
    • Gelignite Jack Murray
    • Lonely Planet Kids
    • THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF PIKELET
    • Fur-Ever Loved
    • Alicorn
    • Roped In from Hardie Grant
    • The Australian Bird Guide
    • The Mysterious Mr Jacob
    • The Rugby League Book of Records
    • Rubbing Shoulders Around the World
    • Make Science Fun
    • Pawtraits
    • Gallipoli
  • Photo Gallery
    • Paul Gauguin Cruises Tahiti
    • Blue Lagoon Cruises
    • Kakadu
    • Hotel Kurrajong
    • The Cook Islands
    • The Steamboats of Lake Geneva
    • Sir Donald Campbell Bluebird >
      • Archives >
        • Travel
        • Entertainment
        • Lifestyle
      • Samsung in the Whitsundays
    • SAMOA images with a Nokia 925
  • Contact
    • Media Kit
    • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Offspring