Gnomon From United States, joined Jun 1999, 922 posts, RR: 4 Posted (9 years 5 months 1 week 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 36 times:
Hey Dash8, what's it like flying in the Netherlands Antilles and the eastern Caribbean? Without a doubt, St. Maarten has the most interesting airport imaginable - a perfect mix of two of my favorite places: a white-sand beach overlooking crystal-clear turqoise water and an international airport barely 100 yards away. You ever fly into Saba, St. Barts, etc. where the runways are deathly short?
Dash8 From New Zealand, joined Aug 2005, 0 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (9 years 5 months 1 week 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 34 times:
Hi Gnomon,
I really like it there in St Maarten. I remember as a child we would go there every 2 years or so, and all we wanted to do was go to that beach. I remember getting goosebumps every time a plane flew over. The most hairraising experience however was trying to stay upright whenever a jet would takeoff. I remember vividly a guy with phone and sunglasses standing right behind the fence on the other side of the street.(The edge of the beach) Me and my brother were also at the edge. The closest you could get without being runover by a car. Well one of our company's MD-82's taxied up for takeoff. For some or other reason the MD-80's were "deadlier" then many, probably because of the exhaust direction. Our company has very strict policies concerning TO from this runway and this MD-80 was probably making a standing TO with full power.
We were about 12 and 14 back then.
As the engine sped up, we could see the guy tryin' to fight it. We were hiding behind a big white rock. Even so we were getting sand blasted. We looked over at the guy, now without a phone or glasses lying flat on the ground !! My brother couldn't take any more of the sandblasting and decided to make a run for the water. He later told me he only took two steps to get there. The beach was 12-15 feet away !!! As the jet sped away and the blasting died down, I looked up and smelled the exhaust of the JT8-D's together with some sand still hitting me in the face. I got goosebumps, the chills and teary eyed all at once from all the excitement.
Now I'm 22 and I'm the one flying the appraoch and TO's. I can't wait to spend some time there just so I can go back to that beach. Whenever a plane lands or takes off, I'll probably still have the same feelings.
As for that guy.... We later found out he lost his sunglasses and his phone was lying just short of the water.
We also were witness to a small utility truck almost getting on two wheels after playing chicken with the engines of a KLM 747. I swear I thought that truckie was gonna turn over !!!
It's soooo great flying here in the Caribbean. I like my job now cause I'm still a rookie (900 hours) but get lots of hours flying the Dash 8-311 and also can get an upgrade to the MD-82 and hopefully the MD-11 or B767 without ever changing airlines or looking for new jobs.
I'm one of the lucky ones !!!!!
VIflyer From Virgin Islands (US), joined May 1999, 443 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (9 years 5 months 1 week 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 34 times:
LIAT (Leeward Island Air Transport or better know as Leaves Island at Any Time) they definatly fly Dash 8's and use to fly Twin otters too. I love St. Martin, my grandfather is originally there and as a kid i use to go with my dad down there about 2 to 3 times a year (from St. Thomas U.S.V.I. where I'm from) I loved to con one of my cousins to drive me down to the airport ( they lived on the french side) and sit there just to watch Air France land those huge 747 at that airport. It's an expericence, if possible you should check out Beef island in the British V.I. the end of the runway is sorta like St. Martin but with a shorter runway.
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Dash8 From New Zealand, joined Aug 2005, 0 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (9 years 5 months 1 week 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 35 times:
Although I know LIAT very well, I don't fly for them. Neither Air Bahamas' Dash8's, nor BWIA two new Dash8's. There is one other company that operates four Dash 8-311's also in the caribbean and that's who I work for.
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