St. Martin is an island in the Northeastern Caribbean Sea. Actually it has the distinction of being the smallest land mass in the world that is 2 different countries, the Netherlands and France. The dutch side refers to the island as Sint Maarten and the French side calls it Saint-Martin. Both sides are known for their beautiful beaches and wonderful cuisine. Perhaps one of the most unique things to do on St. Martin is to pay a visit to Maho Beach. Located on the Dutch side Maho Beach is so close the the airport that it has become one of the most popular tourist attractions on the island. Just off the beach is a road that actually separates the beach from the very end of the airports runway. There is of course a fence to keep people from walking onto the runway. But in spite of the dangers and warning signs people congregate around the fence when a jet is preparing to take off. The jet wash is so strong that people holding on to the fence are lifted off their feet and the sand on the beach and anything loose is blown into the water. The runway is relatively short for a commercial jet. But it's just as bad at the other end of the runway as a mountain is in front of it. So they actually have to taxi to the far back of the runway, engage the brake and push the throttle for a period of time before dis-engaging the brake. This is necessary as they need to climb at a steeper angle and quickly turn to avoid the mountain in front of it. It seems similar to taking off of an aircraft carrier and also accounts for the jet wash effect. The effects of the jet wash during a jet taking off The other neat activity is to watch the planes as the are approaching the runway. It's amazing how close some of them are to the beach as they are landing. Jets landing at Princess Juliana Airport on Saint Maarten
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