tim
Moderator
Reged: 06/18/03
Posts: 5966
Loc: Vélo, Virginia, Vitet
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I know pilots have to be specially qualified to land on SBH, and I've always wondered about the pilot who several years ago tried to land a private turboprop plane here. I don't think anyone was hurt, but the plane got messed up a bit and sat around the airport in a damaged state for a good while. I'd be curious to find out if he had permission to land and if so, why would airport officials allow a plane to come in that couldn't handle the short runway.
BTW, I'm told by a pilot friend that private planes aren't even allowed to land at Saba, and I can sure see why.
Edited by tim (12/06/04 03:27 AM)
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KevinS
Reged: 07/23/03
Posts: 3406
Loc: Boston
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I believe that the Saba airport is "officially" closed, due to its unique nature and the difficulty of operating there, but operates on an exception basis for Winair only. There is an X painted at both ends of the runway, which indicates that the runway is closed.
As to turboprops in SBH, the biggest one that I remember seeing was towards the end of this past November. There was a Pilatus PC-12 (N999EP) parked there for a few days. I wondered just how difficult it was to land it. It must have gotten out safely, because it was gone a few days later.
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Steve_in_STL
Reged: 02/01/03
Posts: 283
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Kevin, several years ago I saw a Pilatus land so there may be one that frequents St. Barts. The runway has been widened with the new improvements, I think, but its wingspan took up most of the runway at the time.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15651
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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Kevin..all I know is I was a lot more "adrenalized" during and after the Saba landing then I ever was for the worse St Barts landing
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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tim
Moderator
Reged: 06/18/03
Posts: 5966
Loc: Vélo, Virginia, Vitet
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MikeR,
"Adrenalized" - what a great word. You've expanded my vocabulary today.
My pilot pal tells me it was in fact a Pilatus that landed in St. B and went beyond the runway damaging the props but without injuring anyone. Don't know how they got it repaired and got it out of here, but I do know it sat at the airport for a good while causing many safely arriving passengers to give thanks a second time.
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The best moderation is the least moderation.
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Skateboard Phil
Reged: 11/04/02
Posts: 763
Loc: Chevy Chase, Md.
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I am always disappointed when we come in over the beach. Part of the excitement of arriving in SBH is the landing over La Tourmente. We have come in over the beach for our last 3 landings and its not quite the same. We'll be chartering for our trip in March and I will be specifically requesting a landing the "right way", unless conditions indicate that it would not be safe. With the price of Winair tix and charters continually heading Northward, I wanna get my moneys worth!
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Skate La Tourmente
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BillK
Reged: 10/02/02
Posts: 1376
Loc: Aurora (Toronto) Canada
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Landing over the hill is actually the safest way to go. Your only problem is coming down short - which would be somewhat undesirable from either direction. If your long you can always go around. However coming over the baie is a do or die situation once you pass Eden Rock. You can't accelerate and climb fast enough to miss the mountains (hills) on all three sides. The airport is also not a "controlled" airport and it's the pilot's decision as to which way he lands and when. You will tend to see the "baie" landings late afternoon when the wind drops making the decision 6 of one and half dozen of the other. Normally the prevailing wind necessitates a mountain landing.
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BillK
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Brian
Reged: 10/22/02
Posts: 594
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You're right -- there's no tower. Apparently, that slipped my mind on Sunday! I hereby amend my earlier post to read "Rather, it means that either the wind is favoring that direction, or that there is sufficiently light wind to permit landing either direction and the pilot elected to land that way."
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stbartslover
Reged: 02/09/03
Posts: 864
Loc: Ann Arbor. Flamands Blue
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There certainly is a SBH tower!! What do you think is that glass structure on top of the terminal building? SBH is a controlled airport with "real" certified air traffic controllers too!
To illustrate: As a child my father (an AF pilot) and I watched the awesome sight of an aircraft carrier departing Pearl Harbor. I asked why there were no planes on deck? He said that certainly there were some stored below decks but the rest would fly out to meet the ship. He explained to a this 10 year old that the Captian always turns INTO THE WIND to launch or retrive aircraft!!! It's the same at SBH. The Pilot always 1)follows the traffic pattern as mandated by the tower--2) lands and takes off INTO THE WIND, period---ESPECIALLY on a short field as the one on our favorite Island. There is no backwards...
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BillK
Reged: 10/02/02
Posts: 1376
Loc: Aurora (Toronto) Canada
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A tower does not mean its "controlled" Julianna is controlled you must request and be permitted to enter the pattern and land SBH is not "controlled" check some of andynaps pics also sit on the beach in a no wind situation and watch planes approach from opposite directions at the same time. They will give wind direction and confirm traffic that may have entered the area but it's pilot to pilot communication that "controls" the airport... and I don't recall seeing any aircraft carriers in St Jean Baie but who knows where dubya will strike next.
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BillK
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 andynap
Reged: 10/24/02
Posts: 12074
Loc: Philadelphia
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QUOTE: " who knows where dubya will strike next "
Great minds think alike.
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Andy -
St. Barts- where no day is ever the same and one day is not enough
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Dennis
Reged: 04/05/04
Posts: 3122
Loc: Chicago
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Oh no...freedom on the march, again?
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