Phuket moves to ban famous aircraft photos from beach

[snoop1130]

Phuket moves to ban famous aircraft photos from beach

By The Nation

 

 

The Phuket authorities are restricting photography aircraft photography from Mai Khao beach, beside the busy runway at Phuket International Airport.

 

The beach provides a popular photo opportunity for visitors but causing aviation safety concerns.

 

Airport deputy director Wichit Kaewsaithiam, after a meeting chaired by deputy provincial governor Prakob Maneerung, said public access would be pushed back along the beach. 

 

"We want both the income from tourism and the aviation safety to co-exist," he said, adding that the prohibited zone will soon be drawn by a joint team of agencies.

 

Wichit also warned people against flying drones or shining lasers at aircraft within a 9km radius of the airport. They were serious legal violations that would disturb aircrews and may cause accidents, he said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30365371

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-03-07

[Borzandy]

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The beach provides a popular photo opportunity for visitors

Thais could make selfies in any case anywhere everywhere in any condition. The third world using "smartphones"

[Maejo Man]

"We want both the income from tourism and the aviation safety to co-exist,"

How on earth can someone jumping up and down on a beach impact air safety?

[fforest1]

It scares anchorites that people can have a unique or unusual experience different from some where else......Their goal is to have the same homogenized blandness every where.......Same reason McDonalds and shopping malls are loved and street food is hated.... 

Edited March 8, 2019 by fforest1

[connda]

What safety concerns?  The only thing that will make a bad day for people on the beach is if the plane lands short of the runway.  The chance of that are infinitesimal. The issue is more that people are having fun and a little excitement and that can't be allowed by authoritarians.  By the way. Planes fly that high over highway 108 on approach to CNX in Chiang Mai - as they do at countless other airports around the world.  So, they should close highway 108 at the end of runway 18/36?  For 'safety' sake they should, 'eh?
No?  So it really has not a thing to do with 'safety' now does it? 

Edited March 8, 2019 by connda

[Timbob]

Access to this part of the beach is already restricted as you have to pay. At least this is what I was told when I was there a few months ago. I thought it would be nice to watch the planes coming and going, but I'm not a massive plane spotter so I went elsewhere.

[MaxYakov]

 

Phuket moves to ban famous aircraft photos from beach

 

Photos of only not famous aircraft are allowed? What do I not understand about this title? 

[ChipButty]

In case someone is having a dump on the way in?

[simon43]

About 14 years ago (or more), before the hotels were built by the beach, one could walk/cycle from Nai Yang Beach, past the end of the runway, and then on the cycle path on Mai Khao beach.

 

At that time, there was no border fence at the end of the runway.  Incoming planes would fly in very low to land and I know there were some concerns that people standing under the incoming flight path might distract the pilot.

 

I used to cycle/walk that route daily in the late afternoon.

 

One afternoon, I was halfway across the end of the runway, walking my bicycle through the sand.  I heard a low rumbling noise that got louder and louder...... but no sign of an incoming plane.

 

The beach is a little below the level of the runway....

 

The noise got louder and louder, and then I realised that it was a large plane taking off!

 

Too late to run to the side, I threw myself onto the sand.......  A massive plane (no idea what make, except that it was a 4-engine monster), roared off the end of the runway, (remember, no fence, so the largest planes often just flew off the end of the runway as the beach dropped away).

 

Lying on my back, I got a view of the underside of this plane, seemingly just metres from my nose!!

 

After that event, if I ever heard the low rumble of a plane's engines, I would run like crazy to get out of the flight path ????

 

 

[Valentine]

You cannot park there anymore. Have to park further north then get a samlor. Before you could go plane spotting on the road next to the runway but they closed that off with a high fence.

[Moti24]

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Wichit also warned people against flying drones or shining lasers at aircraft within a 9km radius of the airport.

I don't remember reading about any drones causing havoc around Phuket airport.  Interesting to know that lasers are OK if outside the 9km radius.  Strange, that!  But, then again, TiT!

[simon43]

I remember that I had to install a flashing red light atop my amateur radio tower at one of my hotels, in case an incoming plane tried to land in the garden....

 

Mind you, it was only 200 metres off the side of the runway - what's a 200 metre error in navigation for a Thai pilot - important or not? ????

[LivinginKata]

25 minutes ago, Valentine said:

You cannot park there anymore. Have to park further north then get a samlor. Before you could go plane spotting on the road next to the runway but they closed that off with a high fence.

 

Yes, it's quite a trek to get to that part of the beach to plane watch. And I have to say that part of the beach is not so tidy. Lot of debris when we went there last August. 

[Briggsy]

I think the issue could be related to potential terrorism.

[watcharacters]

18 minutes ago, LivinginKata said:

 

Yes, it's quite a trek to get to that part of the beach to plane watch. And I have to say that part of the beach is not so tidy. Lot of debris when we went there last August. 

 

Thailand is  a long way aways from properly dealing with litter.   That involves education which isn't exactly the forte of the Thai  education system.

 

I hope Thailand grasps this failure before it's too late.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 8, 2019 by watcharacters

[swbaggies]

5 hours ago, Maejo Man said:

"We want both the income from tourism and the aviation safety to co-exist,"

How on earth can someone jumping up and down on a beach impact air safety?

The jumping up and down isn't the issue, as the report says it's the drone flying and laser pens. These are their issues. 

Edited March 8, 2019 by swbaggies

[CLW]

Thailand is more and more becoming a nanny state. Everything that used to be fun is regulated or prohibited.
Nightlife curfew, alcohol sales, vaping, etc..

If they are concerned about safety just place a security guard and let him look for drones or laser pointers. I would pay a small fee to cover these costs.

Also what about the local people there, I think it has positive influence on the local economy with the samlor drivers and vendors there. What about them?

[fforest1]

5 hours ago, Briggsy said:

I think the issue could be related to potential terrorism.

My friend a laser for blinding the pilot will work 100% as good outside of the fenced in beach as it will inside the fenced in area.....Same goes for a shoulder held rocket launcher, not a shred of difference between being in the fenced in area or not......This has nothing to do with safety.....  

Edited March 8, 2019 by fforest1

[fforest1]

1 hour ago, CLW said:

Thailand is more and more becoming a nanny state. Everything that used to be fun is regulated or prohibited.
Nightlife curfew, alcohol sales, vaping, etc..

If they are concerned about safety just place a security guard and let him look for drones or laser pointers. I would pay a small fee to cover these costs.

Also what about the local people there, I think it has positive influence on the local economy with the samlor drivers and vendors there. What about them?

I think it has positive influence on the local economy with the samlor drivers and vendors there. What about them?

 

Let them eat cake.....Or is that let them pretend to eat out of empty rice bowls.....

[fforest1]

3 hours ago, swbaggies said:

The jumping up and down isn't the issue, as the report says it's the drone flying and laser pens. These are their issues. 

Yawn.....

[CLW]

My friend a laser for blinding the pilot will work 100% as good outside of the fenced in beach as it will inside the fenced in area.....Same goes for a shoulder held rocket launcher, not a shred of difference between being in the fenced in area or not......This has nothing to do with safety.....  

The situation in Phuket is not much different to any other airport in Thailand.
You just need to watch the planes at Suvarnabhumi airport from the platform level of Lat Krabang ARL station.
Therefore the security reason is a farce.

[Psimbo]

'People AND tourists'- an interesting categorization! ????

[madmitch]

I wonder if any air-safety experts were involved in any discussions? I somehow doubt whether the Governor or the airport deputy director fall under that category.

[jethro69]

15 hours ago, Maejo Man said:

"We want both the income from tourism and the aviation safety to co-exist,"

How on earth can someone jumping up and down on a beach impact air safety?

Well on the picture the landing gear is out. Probably they fear someone jumps high enough to grab the plane and pull it down ???

[simon43]

I haven't been to Phuket for a few years. I recall that they had a new security fence at the end of the runway, but under it were two 1 metre diameter storm drain concrete tunnels (dry) that ran under that fence and would allow any terrorist easy access to the runway.

 

I pointed out that security risk to the Phuket police years ago, but no-one was interested.

[worgeordie]

On 3/7/2019 at 5:32 PM, snoop1130 said:

Wichit also warned people against flying drones or shining lasers at aircraft within a 9km radius of the airport.

So 10 Km away is OK, he should have said its not allowed at all.

regards worgeordie

[Richard Kuklinski]

On 3/8/2019 at 1:12 PM, fforest1 said:

It scares anchorites that people can have a unique or unusual experience different from some where else......Their goal is to have the same homogenized blandness every where.......Same reason McDonalds and shopping malls are loved and street food is hated.... 

You mean it scares the authorities people can have a "free" experience here.  ????

[Khaeng Mak]

2 hours ago, Richard Kuklinski said:

You mean it scares the authorities people can have a "free" experience here.  ????

You beat me to it.  The only issue here is that the authorities have seen something that tourists like to do and that they are not making any money from it.  Has absolutely nothing to do with safety or security.  Just Thai greed.