Planes fly low over the beach. On a paradise island, planes land on tourists' necks. Where is it and how to get to the beach with planes in Phuket

People come here for an indescribable thrill, because literally 10-20 meters above the beach and tourists roar giant airliners coming in to land. A dangerous but fascinating sight!

Maho Beach is located very close to Princess Juliana International Airport.

Due to the short length of the take-off runway(2,180 meters) planes are forced to land as close as possible to its beginning, flying directly over the heads of vacationers at an altitude of 10-20 meters from the ground.

This beach is extremely popular among thrill-seekers and photographers who want to capture the low-flying jumbo jet.

All bars on Maho Beach have the following signs with the schedule of arriving flights:

There are also warning signs that jets of air from aircraft jet engines can be thrown into the sea, injure or even kill. But this stops few people:

On average, only every 4th plane landing here can create a strong gust of wind with its jet engines. Then vacationers have a hard time:

Despite the difficult conditions for landing, not a single crash has been recorded so far.

Extreme sports enthusiasts strive to be right above the landing airliner. And this is one of the largest passenger aircraft in the world landing - Boeing 747:

It's hard to believe that this is not a photo montage, but real photographs:

"Photoshop!" - those who see these pictures for the first time immediately declare decisively. “This is an obvious fake! - critics convince. - Look at the shadows here and here. Look at the landing gear, planes don’t land like that! Yes, there is such a noise that everyone will be deaf! Everyone will just be blown away! This can’t happen!” Can't?

Looks impressive, no doubt. Giant liners fly so low over the beach that the landing gear almost seems to touch the heads of sunbathers. Well, they don’t want to connect these shots with ideas about security.

Skeptics immediately noticed that in some photographs the shadows of people and flying cars were falling in different directions. They considered the position of the landing gear not ready for an early landing.

Many were also puzzled by why vacationers don’t look at airplanes? Is this common? Why didn't these crazy people go deaf from the noise of the engines?

But, as it turns out, there are a lot of such photographs (it is extremely difficult to imagine such a large-scale falsification). And the photographs, judging by the picture, were taken in the same place. Coincidence?

June 26, 2003. A Boeing 747-406 belonging to Royal Dutch Airlines lands (photo by Aric Thalman from Airliners.net).

At the same time, a significant number of people (tourists, experts and even pilots) assure that the photographs and what is on them are 100% real. To find out if this is true, we did some research.

And this is what turned out. St. Maarten Island is located in the northern part of the Eastern Caribbean islands. Its northern part belongs to France, and its southern part belongs to the Netherlands. We are interested in the Dutch part of the island, this is where everything happens.

During World War II, an airfield was built on the island, which is now international airport Princess Juliana International Airport - currently considered the busiest airport Caribbean Sea.

Indeed, it seems incredible. But this is reality (photo from aviationpics.de).

And the Maho Beach resort, located in the immediate vicinity of the airport, is called by many as “the best place in the world for watching airplanes.”

They, airplanes, land from the sea, fly over a strip of beach, then over the highway (there are warning signs about very low-flying aircraft) and immediately - immediately - they land on the runway.

It starts right behind the fence. Its length is about 2130 meters, which is not enough for heavy aircraft like 747s - they would be at least 2.5 thousand.

But there is nothing to do: another airport capable of receiving large airliners, on St. Martin Island there is simply none (there is, however, another one, for small aircraft). Thus, the seemingly fantastic landings captured in photographs are obtained.

Princess Juliana Airport. Airplanes are landing from the left (illustration from pjiae.com).

Naturally, a lot of onlookers gather to look at this. Armed with alcoholic drinks, young people hang on the fences and watch. The police no longer pay attention to this.

Moreover, gatherings take place at both ends of the runway, because takeoffs, according to some, look more spectacular.

Therefore, lovers of this kind of sights and sensations specially come to the island. However, in the invitation from the Maho Beach resort, you most likely will not find a word about landing planes.

The reason is obvious - tourists come to stay in paradise, and not to live on the runway. Looking at it once or twice may be great, but several times a day? It must be quite noisy.

And another 747 (photo by Francisco Jose Jurado Ariza from Airliners.net).

However, some people, on the contrary, are exploiting the current situation. For example, the owners of the Sunset Beach bar - one of the best on the island - do not hide the existence of airplanes.

There are many on our planet unique places, and one of them is located in Phuket - this is a beach located in close proximity to the landing strip. In this area of ​​​​the sea coast on Mai Khao (Nai Yang) beach, you can capture airplanes taking off and landing in photos or videos and admire the unusual view.

Moreover, today there is such a direction in photography as spotting. This hobby has become an exciting hobby for many who love photographing unusual situations and objects. Selfie lovers visiting this country will definitely choose the beach on the coast in Phuket, where planes land overhead.

In fact, air transport lands 100 meters from coastline, due to the perpendicularly located runway. The beach section, which is located in front of the airport, is an open and unguarded place. Thus, any traveler can visit here. Everyone will agree that the sight of an airplane taking off overhead and the power of this iron machine, weighing several hundred tons, is simply mesmerizing and makes the heart beat faster.

Please pay attention! Remember that landing an airplane is a complex technical process. When visiting this beach, you should be extremely careful, since the warm air currents from the turbines of aircraft can literally knock you off your feet.

Location of Mai Khao Beach

If you fly to Phuket, then finding Mai Khao Beach will not be difficult. As mentioned above, it is located in close proximity to the airport in the northeast of the island.

The beach itself is a fairly long strip of sand, the length of which is 11 kilometers. Previously it was favorite place nesting sites for leatherback turtles, which laid their eggs here. Today it is a developed part of the sea coast with a familiar, but rather modest infrastructure for tourists.

We also note that the place where the beach is located, where you can relax and enjoy the magnificent spectacle of planes taking off, is located within the boundaries of national park Sirinath. Therefore, in addition to the main attraction, tourists will be able to get wonderful impressions of exotic landscapes, unique flora and fauna for which Thailand is so famous.

Beach Features

Near the beach, travelers will not find cafes and restaurants familiar to most resorts. Nevertheless, this area does not lose popularity, because its main advantage is that tourists and vacationers can capture how the plane will land.

• There is no special rescue service on the beach;
• The shore itself is not suitable for relaxing and swimming with children due to the problematic uneven bottom, which is unsafe for children;
• On this beach, as a rule, there are few umbrellas and sunbeds; such equipment is provided on the territory of hotels;
• When going to the beach, you should definitely take with you sunscreen, since there are no protective canopies on the coast.

We can say that the beach is not best place for those who are accustomed to comfortable relaxation, shopping, nightlife and entertainment. However, this is a popular part of the island for people who love thrills.

During the day, Mai Khao is almost always crowded, everyone is trying to catch an unusual shot. If you need to conduct a professional photo shoot, then it is better to arrive before 9 am or after 19 pm. The planes will also fly low over the beach, but other tourists will not be present in the pictures.

Favorable weather, when the sea is calm, lasts in this place from November to April. At this time, it will be easier to photograph a low-flying airliner against a cloudless sky. Although hotel prices are lower from May to October.

It is not possible to see flying planes every day; this is directly related to weather conditions. After all, airliners choose their landing site depending on the wind. But the plane takes off in only one direction - over the beach. The airliners fly so low that you can feel the heat of the turbines and the vibration of the air from their operation. Gusts of wind sometimes carry away tourists' clothes and slippers, and also lift heaps of sand and shells into the air. Security guards constantly drive away the most curious from the fences beyond which the airport begins. Therefore, it is better not to approach the fence directly.

How to get to Mai Khao

Although the beach unusual airport located nearby, it is impossible to move freely from one to another territory. There are several ways to get to this place on the coast in order to photograph airbuses flying nearby.

The best option to get from the airport to the beach is by taxi (Highway 402). Public transport rarely walks. From the highway the path goes through national park Sirinath or Hotel Centara. Please note that for owners vehicles There is an entrance fee to the park, which is about 100 baht.

Another option is to go through the water park located in the southern part of the island. If you came with a rented vehicle, then you will have a place to leave it. The water park has parking. You can also order a transfer to the beach with cargo and passenger planes, flying to Phuket.

As mentioned above, Mai Khao Beach is not the best place for shopping and entertainment. Although here you can do some shopping in the turtle village (food, drinks, souvenirs). The main attraction is the sight of the planes landing.

Nearest entertainment center is an hour's drive from the beach. Please note that due to the fact that Mai Khao is part of a national park, this beach is closed to all types of watercraft equipped with engines, including scooters.

That is, Mai Khao is perfect place for people who love thrills (photos of airplanes up close), as well as those who come to relax and enjoy exotic nature, walking for a long time seashore or enjoying the bright and lush landscapes of the national park.

Climate and attractions

On the beach, travelers can not only take photographs of airliners taking off, but also enjoy natural features of this island.

Vacationers can take advantage of the small shops located along the coast. As a rule, near each of them there is an open area with a couple of tables where you can sit with friends and drink refreshments.

Another interesting attraction of this island is unique beach, where planes fly, is a fund to help homeless cats and dogs (Soi Mai Khao, 10). As a rule, visitors to this place are couples with children who want to play with the animals. The conditions for keeping pets here are very decent, and admission is free, and tourists can watch exotic animals at any time.

In 2017, Phuket was one of the top three islands where tourists prefer to spend their holidays. Here you can see not only how airliners fly by or take off, but also a lot of other attractions.

Mai Khao is a place where you can get a lot of impressions from airliners flying overhead. But for a leisurely holiday sea ​​coast it is better to choose other beaches on the island.

Video

In the Caribbean Sint Maarten (the southern Dutch part of the island of St. Maarten), you can sunbathe under the wing of an airplane: liners flying over Maho Bay are the main attraction of the coast. The snow-white strip of the beach abuts the runway of Princess Juliana Airport, giving all vacationers at the resort the opportunity to enjoy the amazing landscapes. It seems you can reach the planes flying directly overhead. Huge liners As they descend, they literally knock tourists off their feet: the gusts of wind are so strong that warning signs have been installed on the coast. Smaller copies of signs reading “Low-flying aircraft can cause injury” are the island's most popular souvenir.

The schedule of the nearest landings can always be found in cafes, bars, hotel lobbies and beach restaurants, so keeping track of the approaching aircraft is an easy task. Largest quantity planes land here in the morning and afternoon.

When choosing Maho Bay as a holiday destination in Sint Maarten, be careful: planes fly here really often, and the daily noise of the engines - after photographing a couple of dozen planes - can interfere have a nice holiday. Be sure to hold your children's hands: the gusts of wind when the liners approach are quite strong. To protect the health of children, it is better to use earplugs. When landing giants of the air, you should not hold on to the airport fence: debris and gravel rising into the air can seriously injure you.

You can also watch planes take off and land from the windows of hotels surrounding Maho Bay.

Sint Maarten lies on the south-eastern periphery of the "Caribbean hurricane belt" and can be subject to typhoons, most likely between July-August and October, so travel during this period is best avoided.

How to get there

The island of Sint Maarten is located in the Windward Islands group of the Caribbean Sea. Most planes land at Princess Juliana Airport, one of the most popular in the region. The most convenient way to get to the island is with transfers in the cities of New York, Philadelphia and Miami. During the high season - from November to May - you can also fly direct from Toronto.

The airline operating in Sint Maarten is Windward Islands Airways International N.V., also known as . She flies internationally from Princess Juliana Airport to neighboring islands Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Barthelemy, Nevis, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda.

Location

Maho Bay with the beach of the same name is located on southwest coast islands located in the northern part of the Windward group Antilles(Leeward Islands, Islas de Barlovento).

There are places on the planet where planes land very close to people, and where they can be captured on photo or video camera. This activity is popularly called spotting, although spotting is a whole hobby and photographing flying cars is only part of it. So, the beach with airplanes in Phuket is great for spotting, where I once went. I’m not a spotter myself, but I liked it - I felt like a multi-ton colossus was flying over your head, a very unusual experience. Still, I don’t like classic sights, but something like that.

If you're in Phuket, be sure to go. It’s a very short walk along the beach, and it will be interesting if you’ve never seen anything like this before.

On the map you could see that there is Sirinath National Park near the coast and the airport. Usually in national parks there is something interesting or at least beautiful: jungle, trails, views, mountains, waterfalls, etc. But there is nothing in Sirinata, he is nothing. And what’s strange is that there is a lot of garbage on its territory, what kind of garbage is it then? national park... Visually it just resembles a small forest through which Thais scurry about on bikes and cars about their business. Yes, there are a couple of picnic areas there, but they don't look so good. For me, it’s better to go to that part of Nai Yang beach (), where there is no national park and no traffic.

So it’s not worth going to the national park itself. However, if you want to get to the beach with planes, you will have to cross it.

Visiting information

Phuket beach, where planes land, can be accessed from two sides: from Nai Yang and from Mai Khao. I walked from the Nai Yang side (and for some reason many people walk this way), but visually it seems that from Mai Kao it will be much faster.

In short, if you go from the Nai Yang side, you will need to cross the Sirinath National Park. The fastest way to do this is in its northern part, where it is closest to the airport. The entrance and parking space will be approximately near this hotel (you can see the name and location using the link). Then you only have to walk 1 km along the sand.

Entrance to the park is 100 baht. But, as far as I understand, they only charge for transport, not for people on foot.