SAA Orange Tail

NO. 29

MAY/MEI

1966

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NUWE SNELDIENS

Wanneer die nuwe diensrooster op 1 Julie 1966 in werking tree, sal die Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens andermaal kan spog met die vinnigste diens tussen Londen en Johannesburg. Dit is Naamlik vlug SA. 213 wat van 3 Julie of elke Sondagmiddag om 5.15 van Londen of sal vertrek en die volgende oggend om 8.15 op die Jan Smutslughawe neerstryk. Hierdie vlug sal net Ilha do Sal aandoen, om tegniese redes. Die reis van Londen of sal in slegs 14 uur voltooi word, in ‘n werklike vliegtyd van 13 uur 20 minute. Bedryfsprobleme verhinder dat ‘n soortgelyke diens in die teenoorgestelde rigting op dieselfde tydstip ingestel word. Die noordwaartse vlug op Sondae word egter ook versnel. Viug SA. 226 wat om 7.00 nm. Sondae van die Jan Smutslughawe of vertrek sal, nadat dit Luanda en Las Palmas aangedoen het, om 10.00 vm. Maandae in Londen aankom. In die verlede het die S.A.L. al op verskeie geleenthede die voortou geneem in die wedloop om die vinnigste diens tussen Suid-Afrika en Europa of die Verenigde Koninkryk to verskaf. Gedurende 1956, met ‘n vloot van drie DC-7B’s, wat later deur ‘n vierde aangevul is, het die S.A.L. die vinnigste diens tussen Johannesburg en Londen – in 26 uur – aangebied. Op die sneldiens wat op 4 Desember 1956 ingestel is en wat slegs op Khartoem neergestryk het, is die bykans 6,000 myl lange reis in 21 uur 10 minute afgelê. Hierdie diens is later oor die weskusroete geëksploi­teer en met slegs een oorstapplek, naamlik Kano, is die vliegtyd na net minder as 21 uur ingekort. Met die aanbreek van die stralereeu en die indiens­neming van Boeing 707′s gedurende 1960, het vliegtye andermaal ‘n drastiese verandering ondergaan en is die begrip van afstand in verhouding tot tyd feitlik omver gegooi. Die ononderbroke vlug wat op 3 Maart 1962 tussen Johannes­burg en Athene ingestel is, was die vinnigste wat ooit tussen Suid-Afrika en Europa geëksploiteer is. Die refs tussen die Jan Smutslughawe en Athene het slegs nege uur in beslag geneem, en dit was ook die eerste keer in die geskiedenis van lugvervoer dat ‘n mens van Suid-Afrika na Europa kon vlieg sonder om elders in Afrika to land. Die gedwonge herroetering van die S.A.L. se dienste na die huidige roete gedurende Augustus 1963, hot ‘n geheel nuwe dienspatroon tot gevolg gehad. Nogtans is vliegtye nie uitermate geaffekteer nie, en een van die vlugte tussen Johannesburg en Londen was in werklikheid bykans twee uur vinniger as tevore. Dit is interessant om daarop to let dat daar slegs ‘n verskil van 55 minute is tussen die reisduur van die nuwe diens oor Ilha do Sal en die vinnigste Boeingvlug wat vroeër oor die Nylvalleiroete beskikbaar was, naamlik ‘n diens Londen-Nairobi-Johannesburg wat 13 uur 5 minute geduur het. In die jongste verlede was daar ‘n neiging in sekere kringe om ons dienste na Europa met ‘n ompad to assosieer. Ons het nie vrywillig die effens langer roete teenoor die van ons mededingers gekies nie. Alle regdenkendes sal besef dat dit in die nasionale belang is dat daar ekonomiese regverdiging sal wees om die lugverbindings met die verskeie lande in Europa in stand to hou. Met die instelling van die nuwe, vinniger dienste wil die Bestuur vertrou dat by op die onverdeelde lojaliteit van elke lid van die personeel kan staatmaak om sy of haar bydrae to leaver ten einde die S.A.L. se saak positief en in sy regte perspektief aan die algemene publiek to stel.

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BOEINGS WORD FILMSTERRE

Gedurende die onlangse verfilming van lugtonele vir die maak van ‘n dokumentëre film oor die Suid-Afrikaanse Spoorweë, Hawens en Lugdiens se bedrywighede, het twee van ons Boeingvliegtuie as waardige rolprentsterre opgetree. ‘n Gepaste geleentheid het hom voorgedoen toe beide n Boeing 707 en 727 op dieselfde tydstip vir opleidings­vlugte geskeduleer was en ‘n aantal fotograwe wat in elk van die vliegtuie saamgereis het, kon wedersyds die twee lugreuse in vlug op film vaslë. Ons foto toon die “Limpopo” in sierlike vlug op ‘n hoogte van sowat 35,000 voet terwyl die motore van die langafstandstraler die “Bloemfontein” op die voorgrond gesien kan word.

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DRY ICE BY AIR

The fermentation of molasses produces, apart from alcohol, large quantities of carbon dioxide gas. This gas is col­lected, purified, dried and cooled to minus 40 degrees C to form liquid carbon dioxide. Part of the gas produced is filled into cylinders in liquid form but the greater proportion is further processed into solid form, which is familiarly known as dry ice. Dry ice has the useful properties of extreme coldness and of evaporating directly from the solid stage to gas, without melting to a liquid. Dry ice in gas form – known as CO₂ – is extensively used in the engineering field. Its use for refrigeration purposes is, of course, well­known. Another large outlet for carbon dioxide is for carbonation – to provide the bubbles and sparkle in mineral waters and soft drinks. The normal method of delivery is by rail but, to assist Rhodesian customers and to endeavour to place them on a similar basis to dry ice consumers in the Reef area, the consignors decided to try airfreight. Evaporation losses on normal transport to Rhodesia are about one-third of the weight and it was felt that the additional cost involved in air-freighting ice would be off-set by the greater weights received at destination and that this would counterbalance economically. The first shipment between Johannesburg and Salisbury was transported by Boeing 727, and South African Airways gave every assistance to ensure that this operation was carried out with the minimum of delay at despatch and receipt points.

The first consignment of dry ice ready for loading into the hold of an S.A.A. Boeing 727.

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ASPIRANT REISWAARDINNE

Te oordeel na die vriendelike uitdrukking op die gesigte van die instrukteurs en die glimlaggies van die groepie dames op die foto, is beide leermeesters en leerlinge baie tevrede met die uitslag van die kursus in noodhulp wat onlangs aan die kantore van die St. John-ambulansbrigade in Johannesburg gehou is. Die vriendelike groepie nooiens is alma[ aspirant reis­waardinne, en teen die tyd dat hierdie nuusblaadjie verskyn, sal hulle bes moontlik besig wees om om te sien na die gerief van ons passasiers. Ons vertrou dat hulle onder alle omstandighede met dieselfde vriendelike glimlaggies ons redery se naam hoog sal hou. In die gewone volgorde verskyn van links na regs: (agter) Korpsoffisier F. A. Erasmus, Koekie Lourens, Mary Xypteras, Ruth Thomas, Eve Fuller, Jeanette Prinsloo, Stella Koller en Korpssuperintendent A. J. G. Erwee; (voor) Franpesca Durker, Irene Korving, mnr. S. J. Steyn (gesond­heidsinspekteur), Elizabeth Schelling en Marpella de Kooker.

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SOMER UNIFORMS

Kort voor die winter sy kop uitgesteek het, het sommige lede van die lugstasiepersoneel ‘n voorsmakie gekry van die nuwe tipe ligte uniforms wat in die komende somer­seisoen aan hulle uitgereik sal word. Sover vasgestel kon word, het die ligter drag onmiddellik groot byval gevind en daar word verwag dat wanneer die kwik in die tweede helfte van vanjaar weer begin styg, die nuwe uniforms by lug­stasies regdeur die Republiek ‘n algemene verskynsel sal word.

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VERNAME BESOEKERS

Die Minister van Vervoer, Sy Edele B. J. Schoeman, L.V. het onlangs ‘n vlugtige besoek afgelë by die werkswinkels van die S.A.L. op die Jan Smutslughawe. Tydens hierdie geleentheid was hy vergesel van adjunk-Minister Van Rens­burg wat tans nader kennis maak met die verskillende ver­takkings van ons land se vervoerstelsels; mnr. A. M. Con­radie, waarnemende Bestuurshoof en mnr. J. H. C. Kok, Ingenieursbestuurder.

Minister Schoeman, adjunk-Minister Van Rensburg en mnr.Conradie (heel regs) staan en toekyk terwyl mnr. Kok (links) die werking van ‘n onderdeel van een van die reuse-Boeing­ enjins verduidelik.

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CONGRATULATIONS

We take pleasure in congratulating the team members of the Germiston Railway Ambulance Division of the St. John Ambulance Brigade on the recent winning of the T. R. Price Shield in Bloemfontein. The team, which represented the Western Transvaal District, obtained 320 points out of a possible 400. The team comprised, Ambulance Officer L C. Nicholls, Sergeant A. G. Nicholls, Corporal J. van Heyningen, Corporal J. C. E. Holmes and Private C. H. Greenwood. All the members are employed in the Engineering Section at Jan Smuts Airport, with the exception of Corporal Van Heyningen, who is on the staff of the Loco Foreman, Germiston. In the individual section, Ambulance Officer Nicholls almost succeeded in winning the Duncan Cup. He was, how­ever, beaten by the very narrow margin of only ³/4 of a point to that of the winner. We wish him better luck next time. The national finals for the Selbourne Shield will be taking place in Pretoria during October and we extend our very best wishes to the team for that occasion.

THE WINNING TEAM

Left to right: Ambulance Officer I. C. Nicholls, Corporal J. van Heyningen, Sergeant A. G. Nicholls, Corporal J. C. E. Holmes and Private C. H. Greenwood.

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NEW POOL PARTNER

A new pool agreement has been entered into between South African Airways and the Italian airline, Alitalia. Between them the two partners provide six services per week in each direction between Johannesburg and Rome, and four return services per week between Johannesburg and Athens.

Apart from C.A.A. and D.E.T.A. who in conjunction with S.A.A. operate regional services between the Republic and Rhodesia and between the Republic and Mozambique respec­tively, S.A.A. now has pooling agreements with five other foreign carriers.

The oldest partnership is that of S.A.A..and B.O.A.C. which was concluded in 1945 with the inauguration of the Springbok Service route between Johannesburg and London. On the Australian route, S.A.A. and Qantas have also for many years, operated their services on a joint basis. In addition, we have now entered into pooling agreements with the Portuguese airline TAP – Johannesburg/Lisbon, the French airline UTA – Johannesburg/Paris, and the German airline Lufthansa in respect of services between Johannesburg and Frankfurt.

The main object of pooling agreements is to co-ordinate air traffic over the routes concerned. Whilst such an arrange­ment is obviously to the benefit of both carriers, it also ensures optimum service to the travelling public. The partners, however, retain their own identity and, in a spirit of friendly rivalry each airline endeavours to obtain as much traffic as possible for its own services, since the productivity of each affects the proration of pool revenue. A pool agree­ment, therefore, does not mean that the staff may now rest on their laurels; in fact it should be regarded as an incentive for even greater efforts.

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BEHIND THE SCENES — N.D.T

N.D.T., the abbreviation for Non-Destructive Testing, is as the name implies, the practice of testing the strength and durability of materials without causing any damage to the object being examined. It can, therefore, be accepted that the prime benefit of this type of testing is the saving of expense. As a result of the intricate design of modern jet aircraft equipment and the special materials used in high speed flight, N.D.T. has become highly essential in the aircraft industry. It is common fact that the fracture or failure of certain aircraft parts when the aircraft is in flight could have serious consequences. Where the human eye or other means of examination would fail to detect certain defects, these can readily be discovered by the adoption of N.D.T. methods. In South African Airways, where nothing is left to chance, various forms of N.D.T. are employed such as Radiography, Ultrasonic Examination, Eddy Current Testing, Hardness Testing, Magnetic Particle Crack Detection, Dye Penetrant Inspection and the metallurgical microscope. The adaptability of Radiography or X-rays, as it is more commonly known, is virtually unlimited as a non-destructive testing medium. Apart from the fact that it can be used on any material, its advantages are manifold, especially with regard to time and labour saving. At our engineering base at Jan Smuts Airport S.A.A. has established a very fine laboratory which we are proud to say is one of the best equipped of its kind in the Republic. The walls of the specially insulated room where X-ray inspections are carried out are 20 inches thick whilst the heavy sliding doors are lined with a1/z-inch layer of lead. As a further precaution against radiation the room is also equipped with interlocking circuits and warning lights whilst a safety system is followed whereby the huge X-ray genera­tors can only be operated when the doors are closed and locked. When certain aircraft parts become suspect they are for­warded to the laboratory where a team of skilled workmen carries out the necessary inspections. They will, inter-alia, check for corrosions, measure the wall thickness of aircraft tubings and search for discontinuities or cracks in metals, and metal contamination. Even items such as aircraft tyres, fabrics and non-metallic materials can be radiographically inspected. In fact, the X-ray generators are capable of penetrating materials from a slip of thin paper to a 96 lb. rail and more. The greatest single advantage of X-ray is that the interiors of sealed aircraft units can be “looked into” without dismantling of the item. Quite often, on-the-spot X-raying of aircraft is undertaken in the hangars at Jan Smuts Airport.

They administer our Flying operations: (left) Mr. D. D. B. Forsythe, Operations Manager and (right) Mr. ). R. Boyd, Deputy Operations Manager.

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