ConcordeBoy From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Posted (10 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 2 hours ago) and read 1167 times:
Is it a requirement that all SXM flights land over Maho Beach, or do they ever land curving from the mountain side... similar to the famous Kai Tak Heart Attack approach?
John From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 1366 posts, RR: 6 Reply 1, posted (10 years 6 months 2 weeks 3 days 22 hours ago) and read 1022 times:
Yea, I wondered that myself. Same thing at ST. Thomas, too. Seems they only approach over water, on one end.
B747skipper From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 2, posted (10 years 6 months 2 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 951 times:
Other than a rather short runway for a 747...
at SXM we land East (coming from the sea) and takeoff West (towards the sea) is wind permits... If we have to takeoff East, it is an immediate turn to the RH side after takeoff to avoid the mountain...
xxx
I never landed West at SXM... cannot tell you what it would be like...
(s) Skipper
Jcs17 From United States of America, joined Jun 2001, 8065 posts, RR: 43 Reply 3, posted (10 years 6 months 2 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 933 times:
I actually met a KL pilot at the Maho Beach Resort when I was spotting there. He said he has never heard of anything landing from the west. He said that perhaps GA aircraft do, but he hasnt heard of anything commercial landing from the west.
ContinentalEWR From United States of America, joined May 2000, 3762 posts, RR: 15 Reply 4, posted (10 years 6 months 2 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 928 times:
I would hardly call it a Heart Attack approach, as long as you are coming in over Maho Beach. It's basically water, water, water until you see a strip of sand and then you're over the fence and onto the runway.
The take off is the Heart Attack part. There is a mountain to clear.
B747skipper From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 5, posted (10 years 6 months 2 weeks 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 886 times:
Heart attack - for whom? - passengers?...
xxx
There is an official list of "special airports" which require special briefing for pilots, because of the nature of terrain, obstacles, etc... SXM does not figure on that list of airports... before I went there first time, I remember I was just told "land East", and "takeoff West, if you can"...
xxx
Special airports are... as examples - Bogota, Cali, La Paz, Innsbruck, Lake Tahoe, Aspen, Guantanamo, Orange County... - HKG KaiTak was on that list...
xxx
Looks like "everything is heart attacks nowadays", come on, friends...
(s) Skipper
Mjsmigel From United States of America, joined Oct 2002, 56 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (10 years 6 months 2 weeks 3 days 16 hours ago) and read 840 times:
I found this kind of amusing... from the current DoD FLIP chart supplement:
PRINCESS JULIANA INTL, NT St Maarten I TNCM CIV N18°02.46' W63°06.53'
[....]
REMARKS - Opr 1100-0100Z, OT 24 hr PN. TFC PAT - Rgt tfc Rwy 09. Left tfc Rwy 27. Ovft of populated areas blw 2000' proh. Ovft of beaches blw 500' proh.
Jcs17 From United States of America, joined Jun 2001, 8065 posts, RR: 43 Reply 7, posted (10 years 6 months 2 weeks 3 days 15 hours ago) and read 813 times:
Ovft of beaches blw 500' proh.
Yeah right, the fence between the beach/road and the airport has been replaced more times than you can shake a stick at! Those 747s arent much higher than 300 ft. when they hit the beach area! Thats pretty funny though...on the beach they actually have warning signs about stones and sand being kicked up by a/c as they pass overhead.
A388 From Netherlands Antilles, joined exactly 12 years ago today! , 9067 posts, RR: 13 Reply 8, posted (10 years 6 months 2 weeks 3 days 2 hours ago) and read 702 times:
Only the commuter aircraft, such as the ATR42/72, Dash-8 and DHC-6 Twin Otter larrive from the mountain side (west side). When I flew from Guadeloupe to St. Martin, we came in from the West over Phillipsburg. I was flying with Air Guadeloupe on an ATR72. But larger aircraft don't arrive from the west. Don't know why exactly.
Dazed767 From United States of America, joined May 1999, 5447 posts, RR: 53 Reply 9, posted (10 years 6 months 2 weeks 2 days 23 hours ago) and read 637 times:
I've seen a single engine prop land from the other way, but nothing bigger than that.
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