SAA Orange Tail

Januarie/January 1968

No. 49

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MUCH COVETED

A much coveted trophy awarded annually to the member of Avion Park Recreation Club who has contributed most to the Club during the year in the field of sport, was this year won by Mr. P. Wehmeyer (Rugby).

First presented by Central African Airways (now Air Rhodesia) in 1963 on a reciprocal basis with a similar gesture by S.A.A. to their Club in Salisbury, it was intended to foster competition internally among the sportsmen and women of the two airlines.

At the presentation from left to right: Messrs. V. J. Adlard, Vice-Chairman of the Management Committee (Avion Park), A. O. M. Vialls, Engineering Manager; P. Wehmeyer (Winner); J. Dauth, Chairman of the Management Committee (Avion Park) and W. E. Purvis, Financial Manager.

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CLEAN SWEEP!!

A hundred per cent pass came the way of these mem­bers of the staff who attended the first Airways Account­ing course at Jan Smuts Airport during the period August 1, to November 24, 1967.

These forerunners are to be congratulated on setting such a fine example to others who will later follow this course. Indeed a wonderful achievement.

BACK (left to right): H. J. Venter, J. P. Swanevelder, M. v. R. Vorster, D. J. J. Erasmus, H. van Wyk, F. J. van der Mescht, J. A. van Wyk. MIDDLE: J. C. Goosen, G. Swart, W. E. N, Marais, J. P. Viljoen, S. J. van Eck, P. A. L. du Plessis, L. S. Carr, G. J. A. Veldman. SEATED: Messrs. R. J. Viljaen (Instructor), M. M. Louw (Per­sonnel Manager), J. T. Jooste (Assistant Personnel Manager), B. Pelzer (Instructor).

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NEW ASSISTANT ENGINEERING MANAGER

Our heartiest congratulations to Mr. J. A. Bosch, B.Sc., Aero­nautical Engineer, Technical Ser­vicing, who has been appointed to the position of Assistant Engineer­ing Manager, South African Air­ways. He succeeds Mr. A. O. M. Vialls, who has been promoted to Engineering Manager.

Mr. Bosch joined the Service as an Assistant Electrical Engineer on July 1, 1947, and later held the position of Electrical Engineer.

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BEVORDER

Ons gelukwense aan mnr. P. P. Kerwan, eersteklerk, beplan­ning, Johannesburg, met sy onlangse bevordering na die pos Bestuurder, Tydtafels en Statistiek, en mnr. J. H. O. Grobbelaar, eersteklerk, verkope, Johannesburg, na die betrek­king Bestuurder, Toere en Spesiale Projekte.

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PARTY SMILES

This happy group of girls with the Station Manager, Mr. W. Theron, was part of the staff at Cape Town entertained recently at a party given by the Sales staff there.

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SHOWING OUR COLOURS

As far as is known, S.A.A. is the second member airline to display the I.A.T.A. crest and slogan “Quality in Air Transport” on its aircraft. This was done to increase public awareness of the Association.

Apart from this, the crest and slogan are. being increasingly used in airline publications. The emblem in its present form has been in use since 1952. It is a refinement of a previous design which dates from 1947.

The slogan results from a suggestion made at the Asso­ciation’s Annual General Meeting in 1964, and although originally adopted in the three official languages of I.A.T.A. (English, French and Spanish), it has since been used in a multitude of ways by member airlines in several other languages.

The I.A.T.A, crest and slogan on the fuselage of an S.A.A. aircraft.

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NEVER SAY DIE

The Lockheed Ventura aircraft, which played such a major role in the defences of our shores during the latter stages of the last World War are still occupying a place of honour in the world of aviation.

Used primarily on coastal reconnaissance and anti-sub­marine patrols, after hostilities they were employed on a shuttle service flying troops back from the Mediterranean zone.

Although stripped of their operational value, they were granted a new lease of life and are at present serving a very useful purpose with S.A.A. Stationed at Jan Smuts Air­port, five of these aircraft are used by apprentices for ground training in the initial stages of their course. During this pro­cess, the old faithfuls are virtually torn apart and reassembled many a time.

Their training’ includes location, function, operation and inspection of all flying control surfaces and systems on the airframes and minor checks on airframe and hydraulic systems, documentation of all work done in accordance with standard practice, safety aspects of the ground handling of aircraft, use and care of aircraft tools such as pneumatic tools, torque wrenches and swaging tools.

In second and subsequent years, they progress to sym­metry and rigging checks, functional testing of hydraulic systems; major checks on airframes (including control systems, flap systems and hydraulic and fluid systems).

In S.A.A.’s Ventura Hangar.

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ONTVANGSDAMES

Die laaste groepie wat die kursus vir ontvangsdames vir 1967 afgelê het saam met hul instrukteurs. Die mans is van links na regs: Mnre. J. T. Jooste (assistent-personeelbestuur­der), B. Pelzer (instrukteur), R. J. Viljoen (instrukteur).

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A SALUTE

Every organisation has an idea man, whether that is his prime job or whether he merely utilizes his mind better than his mates.

A case in point is Dean Webster, an employee at United Airlines’ Engineering and Maintenance Base at San Francisco International. His experience rejected the premise that it was impossible to inspect the sixth-stage compressor blades on the JT8D engine without a complete tear-down. Webster finally determined that a fiberoptic light rod and a boroscope could work together to solve the problem-and he was right! He has, during the past year, saved United more than $115,000 (R82,142). His employer, in turn, gave him ten per cent of the savings as a reward.

A salute to Dean Webster. Every Airline, including our own, could use more men of the same pattern.

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PRESSING NEED RELIEVED ON 707′S

A pressing need among passengers aboard our Boeing 707′s has been relieved by the skill and initiative of the S.A.A. engineering staff.

The long-felt requirement for additional toilet facilities has been solved by converting the washroom/shaving cubicle in the economy class cabin to a fully equipped toilet.

Of the five toilets normally available, three plus an additional washroom/shaving cubicle are located in the economy class cabin. When full loads are carried, facilities, especially early in the morning, are severely taxed and the problem is, of course, aggravated when, as sometimes happens, passengers linger in the toilets longer than strictly necessary.

We have, however, been able to convince the aircraft manufacturers that it will, in fact, be feasible to convert the cubicle into another toilet, and all similar aircraft delivered to S.A.A. in future, including the two 707-320C’s now on order will accordingly be equipped with an additional toilet.

One can only hope that consideration for others, coupled with the additional facilities initiated by S.A.A., will help to ease the situation on heavily booked flights.

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TRAFFIC IN 1966

The world’s airlines flew 200 million passengers and 288,000 million passenger-kilometres (142,000 million passenger­miles) in 1966 on their international and domestic scheduled services. IATA member airlines expanded their share of this world traffic slightly and flew 157,911,000 passengers or 204.025 million passenger-kilometres (127,000 million pas­senger-miles) 5,250 million tonne-kilometres (3,596 million ton­miles) of freight and 1,500 million tonne-kilometres (1,027 million ton-miles) of mail traffic on their scheduled services.

OPERATING REVENUE AND EXPENSES

For the first time scheduled airline operating revenues passed the $10,000 million mark in 1966 but rising costs pro­duced a slightly lower percentage operating profit of 8.8 per cent of operating revenues, or $932 million. This is likely to produce a smaller net profit of around $500 million or 4.7 per cent.

EQUIPMENT

At the end of 1966 IATA members’ operating fleet con­sisted of 1,558 jets, 672 turboprops, 1,277 piston engine air­craft and 34 helicopters. The fleet total was up by 80 air­craft, 2 per cent over the previous year. Jets in service increased by 332 or 27 per cent while total piston engine aircraft dropped by 262.

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APPRECIATION

The following letter was received fronn Mr. A. A. K. Gifford, Hon. Secretary, Australian Schoolboys’ Cricket Club, and speaks for itself:­

“I would like to take this opportunity of thanking you on behalf of the Australian Schoolboys’ Cricket Club for all the great work that you and your staff have done in helping to make this tour of ours such a very pleasant one. It was indeed a happy decision when we elected to fly from Australia with your Airline and I am very grate­ful to you for all that you have done for us.

“I have been particularly impressed by the friend­liness and efficiency of the various members of your staff with whom we have come in contact at the various air­ports. When touring with a group of schoolboys such as this who are not familiar with the various requirements of International or domestic flying it is a great comfort and help to me, as their Manager, to have such fine assistance and I hope that you will pass on to these gentlemen our very sincere gratitude for all their assistance,”

It is stimulating to have the seal of public approval on our efforts.

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HIGH AND DRY

These comfortably cradled passengers were part of a con­signment signment of four dolphins recently imported by air from Europe.

Here these “fishy artists” are suspended “high and dry” in their specially constructed hammocks at Jan Smuts Air­port with their ever-present smiles after their “dry” 7,000-mile journey in the SAA/UTA DC8F jet.

Since these mammals can stay out of water for as long as 40 hours, they posed no real problem. All that these 500-pounders required was an occasional sponge-down to preserve their skins.

Consigned to a wellknown circus-owner, they will be trained to perform at this year’s Rand Easter Show.

They are now happily settled in their 60,000 gallon water tank “laced” with 3 tons of table salt in order to give it a taste of the Adriatic Sea from where they originate.

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FIRST HAND

This charming group of overborder contract staff recently visited South Africa on a familiarisation tour.

Seen here with Mr. E. P. Pattenden, Senior Reservation Officer, in his office at Airways Centre, Johannesburg, are, from left to right: Misses M. Carley and J. A. Rogers, London; D. Dressler, Hamburg; R. B. Cardozo, Amster­dam, and A. Quarona, Turin.

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NUWE SPYSKAARTE

Pragtige nuwe spyskaarthouers het onlangs hufle ver­skyning gemaak op die S.A.L. se internasionale dienste. Die tema is Suid-Afrikaanse voëlsoorte in volkleur, Afbeeldings daarvan vir eersteklas-passasiers (regs) en vir ekonomiese klasreisigers (links) verskyn hieronder.

Op die binneblad van elke spyskaart, word ‘n paslike kort beskrywing in beide Engels en Afrikaans gegee van die betrokke voël wat op die voorblad verskyn. Dië vir die Knysna-Loerie (regs bo) lees bv. soos volg:­

..Hierdie loerie word aangetref in die dig beboste gebiede van Knysna en verder ooswaarts tot in Natal. Hy hou meesal in hoë borne en kom net in nat weer grond toe. Sy voedsel bestaan hoofsaaklik uit wilde vrugte soos wildevye, ens. Gewoonlik sien mens hulle in pare onderwyl hulle met tref­

fence grasie van boom tot boom sweef. Teen sonop en son­onder kan sy luide gekras duidelik onderskei word. Op die vlerkvere is daar ‘n rooi pigment wat bekend staan as turacin. Hierdie turacin is in ‘n mate in water oplosbaar, en gevolglik word die meeste van die rooi kleursel in nat weer uitgewas en word die vere ‘n vu!] wit kleur. Binne ‘n paar dae nadat die vere droog geword het, is die kleur net so helder soos tevore. Daar is gewoonlik vyf spierwit eiers, ongeveer net so groot soos die van ‘n gewone duif.’

Die ander voëlsoorte in die reeks vir eersteklas passasiers is die rooiborsbyevreter, die flap, die troupant, die bruinkop­visvanger en die langtoon. Op die spyskaarte in die ekono­miese klas dek die reeks die paradysvink, bokmakierie, koningsblousysie, swie, rooiruggeelstreepkoppie en Afrikaanse hoep-hoep.

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