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Another bystander blown away by airplane


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No doubt there will be a fence in place the next time I visit the airport. The good news is that they can't prevent planes from flying low over the beach.

This has got to be the greatest vantage point on the planet for plane watching.

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That is just too inviting... the unknowing are expecting significant protection... and they don't get anything but a chain link fence.

Being an 8 year old at an airport, I was watching planes move from inside a building.  The safety glass had wires in it.

The 8 year old brain said it must be safe, they used safety glass... I was willing to find out how safe it was...

I was grabbed by a gate agent, when I suddenly realized, how powerful that machine is, and its pointed right at me... a welding cart went sliding by in the jet blast... :)

Ordinary and smart People just don't get it.  They see a fence and a sign, Good protection for a light breeze... it's got to be good... they have no idea how strong the breeze is going to become...

Expect fewer and non standard warnings when you get outside the US.

Add alcohol to the vacation paradise and logic can get away from some really smart people...

How much power do those engines have...?  A: Enough to push a 150k# plane to 500knots...

Ejecting a few people across the beach doesn't take nearly as much power...

The pelting from sand blasts must be pretty painful...

Best regards,

-a-

 

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I suspect it won't be long and there will be a concrete blast pad, especially if some lawyer tries litigating for the Darwin candidates.  The country or the airport may not have any money, but then they'll go after the airline.  On the other hand, maybe some of these countries have a more rational court system.

Tom

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That concrete curb seems to be largely responsible for the injuries too.  Oh what an awful video - but it looks like that lady could have broken her neck on that concrete lip.  If they will not put up a concrete blast wall to avert the wind, then at least they should remove the concrete curb which seems to be responsible for the worst of the injuries.

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Just now, aviatoreb said:

That concrete curb seems to be largely responsible for the injuries too.  Oh what an awful video - but it looks like that lady could have broken her neck on that concrete lip.  If they will not put up a concrete blast wall to avert the wind, then at least they should remove the concrete curb which seems to be responsible for the worst of the injuries.

Yea, I saw that too from another video. It's easy to see how it happened, being blown at over 100mph right into what amounts to a concrete wall.

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5 minutes ago, aviatoreb said:

That concrete curb seems to be largely responsible for the injuries too.  Oh what an awful video - but it looks like that lady could have broken her neck on that concrete lip.  If they will not put up a concrete blast wall to avert the wind, then at least they should remove the concrete curb which seems to be responsible for the worst of the injuries.

I think that concrete curb is there to keep the sand on the beach, so the wind doesn't blow it onto the road. Also keeps cars off the beach.

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Just now, MyNameIsNobody said:

 I would enjoy watching this from a distance.  Participation?

 

I have to agree Scott, and I did. When I was at the spot a few years ago I opted to stand way off to the side, knowing just how dangerous it could be.

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Those that have been there.  I am guessing there is signage to educate on the ramifications of participation?  This woman maybe had a few "boat drinks" that Buffet talked about?  Maybe needed a friend to say "hey, come over here with me and watch the nuts get blown away by this 747"...

Needed Phone a friend lifeline/voice of reason.

Curbs are hard.

 

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8 ft sign ,large red lettering posted directly in front of fence warning of injury or death from jet blast....also included is a bright red graphic of person being blown over...they did for the thrill being bored that day..Than woke up a paraplegic when her neck snapped against that curb...

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It is beyond me how anyone could think getting jet blasted on a beach is fun.  In the best case, there has to be sand everywhere.

As unfortunate as this accident is, its also one of the things I love about the Dutch Caribbean.  They expect folks to be responsible for themselves.   They expect folks to exercise common sense.  They take the minimally intrusive steps.  They stopped auto traffic.  --Where the hazard might not be obvious and a tumbling car really could hurt someone else.  They put a warning sign up.  In the US, the whole beach would have been closed for a 1/4 mile on each side of the runway.

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6 minutes ago, chrisk said:

In the US, the whole beach would have been closed for a 1/4 mile on each side of the runway.

I don't think they would close the beach, but a 20 foot tall blast fence would definitely be constructed in addition to a 50 foot periphery chain link fence with razor wire.

This is what has become of our best vantage points since 9/11 (knee-jerk, overreaction if you ask me). One of the best vantage points that I used to visit was at the foot of runway 1R at SFO, where the airport authority had a parking lot for observers. That's long gone. Then there was the rooftop parking of the Pan Am Worldport at JFK (before it was torn down last year). Since 9/11, that prime location was shut down as well.

 

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This whole discussion brings back memories from my childhood.  I went to high school in Virginia Beach.  I remember the road to the naval air station in Norfolk had stop lights for air traffic.    Then they built an underpass for the cars.   To give some idea of how close it was:  http://www.snopes.com/photos/airplane/i564.asp

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