TNCM-St.Marteen approach.

[Capt.S.Prest]

im flying into St.Marteen which has one of the most beautiful approaches and then my controller gives me a different approach this time to land runway 27. when i finally decide to line up with the runway, i notice some mountains in front of me and i cant see a runway but my ILS is locked on to the runway. I decide to fly over the tall mountain and i see the airport but its practically impossible to descend and land on that runway. Now another time i'm flying into the airport with that same approach, i notice that another plane is landing before me on that runway. i switch to that airplane to view the plane landing and what do i see??...the plane passes through the mountain like it's not there at all!!!....does anyone have any idea why this is happening??

[Flying Mouse]

Common problem.

The approach into runway 27 is landing from the east if I am not mistaken. Yes there is a fairly large mountain on the way.

I don't fly heavies but do heavies ever use runway 27 in real life at TNCM?

Have you tried requesting a different approach? From the west? ATC allows requests alternative  then what was originally given.

I have also notice ATC giving runway 27 to approaching AI aircraft and sadly they all fly through the mountain. I use WOAI and they too take a shortcut.  I doubt one can do anything about that.

Goodluck  :)

[Capt.S.Prest]

thnx alot...since the first incident, i request a different approach...don't know why that problem has to be there because St.Marteen doesnt exactly have a large mountain right in front of runway 27 (at least to my knowledge).

[Barbr]

Yeah, that happened to me too with Innsbruck. The ATC guided me through some 5000ft/min descent.  :(

[kagazi]

I don't believe that TNCM 9 or 27 has an ILS.  In real life, small commuters and props will land on 27.  I believe the heavies will be diverted.  One option is to include an LDA or ILS using Jim Vile's curved approach technique for 27.  This way AI will be vectored on a base leg away from the mountain and turn to final some 1 or 2nm from the 27 threshold...