Super Scenic!! This was for sure one of the most beautiful approaches I've seen. I've included in the video a map view with our trajectory until touchdown (video captured from Flightradar). And the fact that I was seated on the left side of the aircraft offered me a perfect view on the "Butterfly" - as we call Guadeloupe due to its shape. The sunset lights added even more beauty to this approach.

The copilot made a visual approach which made us pass near the Pointe de la Grande Vigie, and the town of Anse-Bertrand during the downwind part. The approach then offered a stunning view of the two largest islands of the archipelago: Grande Terre (the Eastern part of the butterfly) and Basse Terre (the Western Part, recognisable thanks to the mountains). The little island of "Fajou" can also be seen. The trajectory then made us overfly the towns of Sainte-Rose, Morne-Rouge and Le Lamentin, before passing over Mahault Bay in short final. On the left side of the aircraft we also had a perfect view of the wonderful seabed and the heavenly turquoise water. We ended the flight with a firm landing, just as I like it.

Corsair International operates the last three Boeing 747s in France, as Air France retired its own Jumbo Jets in 2016. The aircraft that operated my flight (reg: F-HSEA, previously owned by United, N188UA), which was a 25-year old baby at the time, just returned from China where it underwent a Check D in order to extend its lifetime beyond 2020. Corsair International does not seem to have plans to replace the three 747, and it's very good news for us, avgeeks!!

Flying in a Boeing 747 and hearing its melodious engines (Pratt & Whitney PW4000 here) is always an inestimable pleasure, as you'll hear in this video, even more now that these birds are getting rare. French West Indies airports are lucky to see the 747 still operated, as Corsair primarily sends them to Point-à-Pitre and Fort-de-France, along with Saint-Denis (Reunion Island) and Maurice.

My flight had a 2 hours and 40 minutes delay (not the airline's fault tbh) which made me miss my next flight to FDF. But the good point is that it allowed me to see the sunset! I hope you'll enjoy this video!

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MORE DETAILS:
Airline: Corsair International
Aircraft: Boeing 747-422 (ex-United Airlines)
Registration: F-HSEA (ex N188UA)
Flight No: SS926
Origin: Paris Orly - ORY
Destination: Pointe-à-Pitre - Pole Caraibes - PTP
Time of departure: 2:00 pm (2h40 late)
Time of arrival to the gate: 3:00 pm local time (2h05 late)
Flight duration: 8h05
Seat: 25A - Economy

Camera: GoPro Hero 5 + Suction Cup, Nikon D3100 + 18-55mm lens

Thanks for watching!
© FERNOUSDU972, 2018

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