St. Maarten Airport Beachgoer Dies From Jet Blast

[Pacolovestacos]

So the "thrill", right? That's what some people get by standing at the fence. Look, I'm not saying everyone should do it, but it seems strange to call people stupid for doing it "because they might die". ONE person has died in how many years? You might die driving your car. Are people stupid for that? You might die crossing the street. I know you (@Pacolovestacos ) didn't call people stupid, but some have.

So I guess what I'm saying is I don't see this as a thrilling stunt. Skydiving, bungee jumping, swimming with sharks, walking out on dangerous ledges with no railing, are all thrilling in my book. Holding onto a fence while being hit with a jet stream just doesn't seem fun to me and certainly not worth the risk.

As I also said earlier, I'd be okay standing in the beach and getting blown into the water. That seems cool despite the risk of people colliding into each other which I've also seen happen. It's the fence thing I'm having trouble with, I just don't get why that's "cool."

 

[sam_gordon]

Here's my video (if I did that right):

 

[sam_gordon]

So I guess what I'm saying is I don't see this as a thrilling stunt. Skydiving, bungee jumping, swimming with sharks are all thrilling in my book. Holding onto a fence while being hit with a jet stream just doesn't seem fun to me and certainly not worth the risk.

That's exactly my point. Bungee jumping and swimming with sharks doesn't seem fun to me and not worth the risk. Does that mean I think you're "stupid" for doing so (or wanting to do so)? Of course not. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[sam_gordon]

I took my family to Maho beach specifically to get blasted by the planes.

We had a great time but we made sure to stand just to the side and to stay on the beach side so that if we did fall it was not into the wall between the lanes in the center of the road.

Here is my video:

Interesting. The plane in your video was much closer to the end of the runway than the plane in my video. I think "my plane" was a larger one too.

 

[Imzadi]

I had only changed one before. Now I've changed the other two. Creating a shareable link makes it available to the public (as opposed to sending a link to a certain individual)... it puts it in a public folder.

Now I can't see all 3 again.

 

[bcla]

My picture is of a prop plane. It flies only because of propeller. However, in my second picture, you can see a jet flying over my head.

Also, a smaller, lighter plane doesn't need as long a runway to land, so it doesn't need to touch down as close to the start of the runway.

Didn't the report say that the plane in question was taking off? So it would probably be lining up as far back as possible to get as much runway to work with, and that would put the engines closer to the fence and closer to the ground. Then they bring the throttle to about 90% and drag race it. Sounds like Orange County Airport.

Landing isn't supposed to require as much runway. They've usually burned off most of their fuel, they've got thrust reversers, and in general they need less length than taking off even without all that.

 

[sam_gordon]

Now I can't see all 3 again.

Well crap. I'm going to try one more time:

 

[Hikergirl]

Pardon me for taking offense at you calling me stupid.

I apologize, and I will re-phrase. I think what she did was stupid, but that doesn't make her a stupid person.
I've done some stupid things in my life, and I probably wouldn't want people thinking I was stupid for doing those things.

 

[Imzadi]

Well crap. I'm going to try one more time:

Finally!

Wow, those planes are really close!

 

[sam_gordon]

Didn't the report say that the plane in question was taking off? So it would probably be lining up as far back as possible to get as much runway to work with, and that would put the engines closer to the fence and closer to the ground. Then they bring the throttle to about 90% and drag race it. Sounds like Orange County Airport.

A) The conversation was about the pictures of the planes landing. The jumbos are a lot lower than the picture I took. So I explained why that would be.
B) The planes I saw taking off last year did NOT line up as far back as possible. See the video I posted. I'm not saying it never happens (perhaps with a fully loaded flight or other issues), but don't assume it always does.

Landing isn't supposed to require as much runway. They've usually burned off most of their fuel, they've got thrust reversers, and in general they need less length than taking off even without all that.

And what does that have to do with the price of tea in China?

 

[kdonnel]

Interesting. The plane in your video was much closer to the end of the runway than the plane in my video. I think "my plane" was a larger one too.

A lot of the videos on YouTube are Insell Air. They seem to like to come to the very end. There was also a turbo prop that took off while we were there, don’t remember the airline. The pilot got out of the plane and waved at everyone. He tried to do the same but didn’t generate much wind at all.

 

[RedAngie]

I was too much of a wimp to stand directly under the flight path. I wouldn't dream of holding on to fence. Standing 100 to 200 feet away was thrilling enough for me. The view from the window seat at landing was pretty cool too.

There were plenty of landings the day I visited the area, but only one takeoff. Could have been the time of day.

 

[JaxDad]

A lot of the videos on YouTube are Insell Air. They seem to like to come to the very end. There was also a turbo prop that took off while we were there, don’t remember the airline. The pilot got out of the plane and waved at everyone. He tried to do the same but didn’t generate much wind at all.

I'm not an airline pilot, but I do have a commercial pilot license. Only a foolish pilot would not use all the available runway for takeoff there.

 

[PollyannaMom]

While I feel sorry for her family. I don't feel sorry for her. This was a prime example of the Darwin Award in action.

I don't know the details of who she was there with, or whose idea it was, but I will feel especially bad for the family if it turns out that she didn't initially want to do it, and one of them convinced her.

I'm not one of those people who considers things like this thrilling, and I (personally) don't feel like this activity is a smart choice. But I also don't think everyday life is 100% safe. I know I have a higher risk tolerance than some people, and I realize other people will have a higher risk tolerance than me.

 

[runwad]

We didn't visit this beach when we went there. It does look cool to see those planes flying over the beach, but no thank you. My house is directly in line with a little airport and those little 2 seater planes have to fly directly over my house! I hate that. I'm always fearful one of them will crash into us or fall from the sky right on our house. So no way would I go stand at a beach while a big jet flies over me!!

 

[ols386]

Thanks Sam for the video.

I've heard about this airport and how the runway is right next to the beach. Can't say that I'd want to be standing so close to a plane taking off.

 

[declansdad]

Well I guess the old saying goes, if your friends all jump off of a bridge........
If people have been doing it for decades, I guess it just shows that people aren't really getting any smarter.

Standing on the beach, which is beautiful by the way, isn't the problem. It is people who stand and hold on to the fence.

 

[Albort]

http://i.imgur.com/eZ1Nl48.gifv

she must be one of them...

 

[kdonnel]

I'm not an airline pilot, but I do have a commercial pilot license. Only a foolish pilot would not use all the available runway for takeoff there.

In this case it is not a matter of using all the runway, it is a matter of using all the runway and a bit more.

All the other planes turned and lined up on the runway just in front on the threshold lines, roughly putting the middle of the plane on the 10 painted on the runway.

But not the Insel Air plane. It came to the left so that the plane was sitting on the runway entirely prior to the threshold, covering the ---> ---> section of the runway. I am not a pilot in any way but that does not seem like a part of the runway you are expected to use for takeoff or landing.

The turbo prop plane took it one step further and came all the way out to the > > area on the extreme left of the runway. Got out of the plane, waved at everyone, got back in, revved up his engines and took off. I'm not sure what his passengers thought.

Maho Beach from Google Maps:

 

[Hikergirl]

Standing on the beach, which is beautiful by the way, isn't the problem. It is people who stand and hold on to the fence.

Isn't that who we are talking about?