SAA Orange Tail

January/Januarie 1971

No. 85

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A TOUCH OF THE DUTCH

At a ceremony held recently in S.A.A.’s Cabin Services Building at Jan Smuts Airport, sixteen young flight stewards were officially presented with their wings by the Chief Executive, Mr. A. M. Conradie. As guest of honour at the ceremony Mr. Conradie briefly addressed both the new recruits and the parents and well wishers who were present. One of the remarks he made was pertinent to S.A.A.’s staff as a whole and con­cerned the lack of discretion which is often shown when staff members have a complaint to make. Addressing the new flight stewards, Mr. Conradie appealed to them to bring any complaints which they might have, to the atten­tion of the S.A.A. official most directly concerned, rather than to broadcast them to the public.

One of the stewards, Mr. Jack Gerbrands, is a young Hollander who has lived in South Africa for less than a year. Keenly interested in flying and all aspects of airline operation, Mr. Gerbrands will undoubtedly be an asset to S.A.A. in that he is fluent in English, French, German and Hollands. He also speaks Afrikaans as well as most South Africans.

Last month S.A.A. News featured an item on Miss Emmie Korver, a young air hostess who also hails from the Netherlands. We welcome both Miss Korver and Mr. Ger­brands to the ranks of S.A.A. and feel sure that they will enjoy a long and happy stay with the airline.

Mr. Jack Gerbrands, one of S.A.A.’s new flight stewards, is presented with his wings by the airline’s Chief Executive, Mr. A. M. Conradie.

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CHESS TOURNAMENT FOR S.A.A.

Arrangements are at present under way to hold a chess tournament for Airways personnel during this year.

It is envisaged that the tournament will take several months to complete and those members of the staff who are desirous of participating are requested to either tele­phone Messrs. F. R. Butler or J. de Vaal at 5722 or 5582 respectively, or write to them c/o Engineering Director, S.A.A., Jan Smuts Airport, giving full name and work location before February 26, 1971.

Full particulars regarding the rules will be published at a later date.

The winner will be presented with a beautiful trophy.

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THE FIRST FAMILY

Statistics issued by the Boeing Company during Novem­ber, 1970, reveal that only fifteen airlines own larger fleets of Boeing aircraft than South African Airways. Topping the list is United Air Lines with a fleet of 263 aircraft, followed by American Airlines with 233, Trans-World with 204 and Pan American with 183. United Air Lines and Lufthansa are the only two world airlines currently operating all four members of the Boeing family – the 707, 727, 737 and 747. Eleven airlines, including S.A.A., already operate three members of the “first family” of jetliners.

To date nearly 2,200 Boeing aircraft have been sold to 102 airlines around the world, 852 of these were 707′s, 856 were 727′s and 277 were 737′s. 199 Boeing 747 superjets have been purchased by 31 airlines but less than half of these have already been delivered. Only 15 airlines are already operating the 747 but during the next twelve months this aircraft will become a common sight at airports around the globe.

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A WORD OF PRAISE

The airline’s traffic and cabin staff have earned them­selves a fair share of praise over the last few weeks. Letters received from sources both in South Africa and abroad have confirmed that S.A.A.’s staff are offering a service of a consistently high standard. A very well-known British musician and songwriter, in fact the man responsible for many of the “jingles” heard on radio stations throughout the world, has written to say how impressed he was by the cabin services on our domestic flights. “I travel many miles during the course of my business and I have yet to experience better cabin services on any airline”, wrote our admirer. Mrs. J. du Preez, of Braamfontein, Johannesburg, wrote a letter to “The Star” to express her gratitude for the assis­tance she received when, as a “stretcher case”, she was flown from Johannesburg to Bloemfontein to undergo a spinal operation. We are happy to report that Mrs. Du Preez was walking again by the time she made the return flight, but she thanked the airline staff most profusely for arrang­ing a wheelchair.

Mrs. Du Preez concluded by writing, “How wonderful it is to know that there are such kind people at our service”.

Let us hope that these words of praise will inspire S.A.A. staff to achieve even higher standards. To the cabin crews of SA503 and SA514 on November 25, we offer our congratulations on what must have been a sterling per­formance.

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A MUFFLED ROAR

Noise is something an airline technician learns to live with, but there is a level of tolerance. Mercifully, S.A.A.’s present jet engine testing facility is situated some two miles from the hangars and workshops and our technicians are spared a continual ferocious whine, as powerful Boeing engines are put through their paces.

The present engine testhouse is capable of handling engines with a maximum thrust of 25,000 lbs. but to date has never been called upon to accommodate any engines more powerful than those of the Boeing 707, with a thrust of 19.000 lbs. However, S.A.A.’s new engine test centre, being built especially to accommodate the 47,000 lb. thrust engines of the Boeing 747, will be able to handle massive engines with a thrust rating of 100,000 lbs. What is more, the new test centre is situated right in the heart of the hangar and workshop area!

Before you all rush out to buy ear plugs and ear muffs, let us reassure you that the new test centre will be equip­ped with sophisticated silencing equipment which should preserve the sanity of the airline’s technical staff. The total cost of the new facility will be R1,500,000 and the test building will be 218 ft. long, 28 ft. high and as many feet vNide. A giant steel tube, 39 ft. long and weighing 27 tons, has been made by a Boksburg firm to conduct engine gases out of the building.

The new engine test centre at Jan Smuts Airport is already in an advanced stage of construction, as can be seen in this photograph.

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NEW BASE FOR AIR HOSTESSES

Cape Town, perhaps South Africa’s most beautiful city, is to become the new base for 23 of S.A.A.’s air hostesses. The decentralised base has been instituted especially to accommodate girls who would normally be deterred from joining S.A.A. through having to leave their home town.

A group of girls, all recruited from Cape Town itself, commenced training early in January. These air hostess trainees are being accommodated at a hotel in Johannes­burg for the duration of the course and will return to Cape Town on February 22. There they will be joined by four qualified girls who have thus far volunteered for transfer.

The air hostesses who are stationed in Cape Town will serve only on the internal services to Johannesburg and Durban, and will not be called upon to undertake either overborder flights or night stops.

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NEW FACES IN SALES

Well known to passen­gers at Jan Smuts Airport but relatively new in the Sales Department is blonde petite Annetjie Muller. Born in Krugersdorp, she completed her schooling at Randfontein in 1964. Im­mediately afterwards she joined S.A.A. as a typist in the traffic department arrd in February 1967 became a ground hostess at Jan Smuts Airport. She was Acting Super­visor of the ground hos­tesses from 1969 until June 1970 and experience gained at the Airport stood her in good stead when she then joined the Sales Department as Lady Sales Representative. Her soft youthful looks belie a strong will and deter­mination essential to her task of promoting goodwill with the agents and liaising with various women’s organisations. Annetjie is single, confesses to like swimming, loathe sewing, enjoy knitting and reading and loves travel. Ambitions? A successful career with S.A.A. and to log as many hours of flying as is humanly possible. New face in the S.A.A. Sales Department is Volker Clages, District Sales Manager (Foreign Language Group). Born in Berlin on 15th April, 1939, he attended junior school in that city, matriculated in Bremen and then went to Hanover for a four year degree course in ballet, music and theatre. Afterwards he was at­tached to the Hamburg State Opera and apart from pursuing a career, still found time to study French, Roman languages and Biology at the Hamburg University. March 1969 saw his arrival in South Africa to join P.A.C.T. but in November 1970 he joined S.A.A. in the above­mentioned capacity. Blonde, good looking Volker is not married and his hobbies are – literature, arts and music, naturally! We wish him every success in his new career with S.A.A.

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FORE!

Windhoek’s answer to Cape Town’s Sally Little is Miss Linda du Toit, an S.A.A. ground hostess bas­ed in the city. Perhaps Sally Little might have some­thing to say about Linda’s unorthodox putting style, but it’s not often that a woman golfer looks so at­tractive on the greens. No doubt Miss du Toit’s white gloves helped her to putt the ball straight and true!

Linda was setting the ball rolling to an evening of fun and games, sponsored by S.A.A. and held at Wind­hoek’s Putt Putt course to­wards the middle of No­vember. In addition to displaying her prowess as a golfer, Linda du Toit very graciously presented the prizes at the end of a most enjoyable evening.

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DIE S.A.L.:

WIE SE VERANTWOORDELIKHEID?

Mnr. N. S. Louw, handelsdirekteur, het onlangs by ge­leentheid van ‘n middagete by die Meerklub, lede van die Benoni-Rotariëklub toegespreek oor – „Die Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens: wie se verantwoordelikheid?”

In antwoord op die vraag het mnr. Louw onder andere verklaar dat „die Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens eerstens deur die bevolking en Regering van Suid-Afrika in die lewe ge­roep is en tweedens dat dit ‘n sakeonderneming is”.

Voorts het hy gesê dat dit in die belang van alle Suid­Afrikaners is om te verseker dat, deur hul ondersteuning, die S.A.L. ‘n gesonde groeikoers handhaaf. In hierdie opsig dra elke burger verantwoordelikheid vir die Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens.

Foto toon mnr. Louw (links) waar hy ‘n skaalmodel van die Boeing 737 aan mnr. Charles Wheeler, voorsitter van die Rotariërklub oorhandig. Die Rotariërklub het op hul beurt ‘n eksemplaar van „Benoni, Seun van my Smart” aan mnr. Louw geskenk.

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THOSE DARING YOUNG LADIES …

The skirts were perhaps too full to be fashionable by today’s midi standards but the hemline was just about the right length. Their lumpy double-breasted jackets were not exactly tailored to flatter the female form but their Jackie Coogan-style caps gave them a certain rakish charm. Even if the end result, fashion-wise, was somewhere between Bonnie Parker and Amelia Earhart, these intrepid young ladies were worthy of our admiration. To whom are we re­ferring? Why, the world’s first group of air hostesses, introduced by the Boeing System (later United Air Lines) way back in 1930. The man responsible for their introduction on the Boeing system was Stephen A. Stimpson, the System’s western traffic manager. In Stimpson’s opinion, airline passengers of the 1930′s, usually first-timers, needed to be convinced that flying was more than just the fastest way of getting from point A to point B. It was also gracious living. In a letter which he wrote to the Boeing System’s vice­president, Stephen Stimpson emphasised the psychological advantages of having young women as regular crew mem­bers on board the company’s aircraft. He felt that their presence would reassure the passengers that they were quite safe and would instil a measure of confidence in the ability of the unseen pilot. To make the idea as palatable as possible, Stimpson suggested that the stewardesses be trained nurses. The vice-president, D. B. Colyer, was unimpressed by Stimpson’s suggestion. He felt that pilots would not take too kindly to screaming women in the cabin, scaring the pas­sengers half to death.

Stimpson would not give up his idea, and after some months of repetition and refinement he was detailed to hire eight nurses. Miss Ellen Church, a nurse at San Francisco’s French Hospital, became chief stewardess and was entrusted with the responsibility of selecting her colleagues. With the exception of one recruit, who could not conquer a pre­dilection for air sickness, most of the girls proved eminently suitable.

The Boeing System issued a formal statement on the stewardess service, mentioning that the young women per­formed various duties on the trip, including attention to women and unaccompanied children. What the statement omitted to mention was that the duties also included clean­ing the chemical toilets, hauling baggage, pushing the aero. plane in and out of the hangar and serving cold fried chicken until none of them could stand the sight of it.

THOSE WERE THE DAYS.

(Adapted from the Boeing magazine).

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ANGELIC SMILES

The faces of S.A.A.’s ‘sales staff in Durban are wreathed in somewhat enigmatic smiles. It’s hard to tell whether they are pleased as punch with their plush new office suite or whether the strange locality of the office is inducing a general mood of benevolence. The new offices, you see, are sited directly above a church!

The building in which S.A.A.’s sales team is housed is actually a multi-storey edifice adjoining the Oswald Pirow Building in Smith Street. The Methodist Church occupies the lower floors of the building but apart from an abstract representation of Gothic buttresses on the Smith Street facade there is very little indication of an ecclesiastical interior.

Although the new offices are spacious, well-appointed and carpeted wall-to-wall, the sales team was working under a slight strain towards the end of 1970. When the suite of eight offices was first occupied at the beginning of Decem­ber the builders had not got around to installing the air conditioning units. Nobody would begrudge the builders their annual holidays but, as we all know, the weather in Durban during December is often more than mortal souls can stand. However, we feel sure that the sales team will be blessed with airconditioning early in 1971.

The new Methodist Church Building in which S.A.A.’s Durban Sales offices are situated. The airline’s city terminal is housed in the adjoining Oswald Pirow Building on the right of the photograph.

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ONS BOK VERANDER

Net soos die vliegtuie het die Vlieënde Springbokem­bleem ook eleganter en meer gesofistikeerd geword. Die oorspronklike ontwerp, vir die eerste keer gedurende die middeldertigerjare gebruik, is in 1948 deur die huidige em­bleem vervang. Nogtans het die verloop van tyd met sy voorskrifte t.o.v. moderne stilering weer eens die ontwerp ingehaal. Die gevolg is dat ‘n eenvoudige, dog vaartbelynde nuwe „bok” sy verskyning op vliegtuie sal maak wanneer die S.A.L. sy 747 superstralers teen die einde van die jaar ontvang.

Van links na regs – Die oorspronklike vlieënde Springbok van die dertigerjare, die huidige simbool wat in 1948 geskep is en die slanke nuwe ,Bok”

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DIE S.A.L, ONTHAAL JAPANESE GEMEENSKAP

Die Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens het onlangs lede van die Japanese gemeenskap op ‘n gholfdag wat by die Kyalami­gholfbaan, Johannesburg gehou is, onthaal.

Die geleentheid is gesamentlik deur die S.A.L. en mnr. S. Homma van die Nippon Klub gereel. Ons foto toon mnr. J. H. O. Grobbelaar, bestuurder, Bemarking en Toere, waar hy mnr. H. Hara se prys aan horn oorhandig terwyl Gary Player, wat ook aan die toernooi deelgeneem het, toekyk.

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CONTAINERS FOR 747′s

South African Airways has ordered over 200 baggage/ cargo containers worth more than R200,000 for use aboard its three 352-seater Boeing 747 Superjets for delivery later this year. The containers fit into the lower deck cargo compart­ments of the 747. Thirty fit each Superjet – 16 in the for­ward compartment, and 14 in the aft compartment.

Made by Goodyear Aerospace Corporation, they can hold approximately 50 suitcases, or an equal amount of cargo.

Each unit measures five feet wide, five feet high, and seven and a half feet long across the top (they angle it at the bottom to fit the plane’s shape).

The containers are constructed of corrugated aluminium with Bondolite sandwich shelving. The Bondolite consists of aluminium surfaces bonded to an end-grain balsa wood core. The shelves are adjustable, and the container doors roll up and out of the way for loading and unloading.

Seen inspecting one of the loaded baggage/cargo containers are (left to right), Mr. Attie Delport, Assistant Traffic Managar, South African Airways; Mr. Pat Ryan, Manager Aviation Products for The Goodyear Tyre & Rubber Company, and Mr. Jeffries R. Scott, Traffic Manager, South African Airways.

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HOW SAFE IS FLYING?

(Adapted from information published by the Air Transport Association of America)

• Safety gear on one modern jetliner (hatches, fuel dump­ing installations, fire detection and extinguishing sys­tems, duplicate instruments, emergency brakes, emer­gency evacuation lighting, etc.) weighs approximately as much as 15 passengers and their baggage.
• The airlines employ an average of 23 aviation mechanics for each airliner in their fleets.
• In the U.S., 18 times as many persons died after acci­dentally swallowing poison last year as died in U.S. scheduled airline accidents, 19 times as many died in gun accidents, 55 times as many drowned, 56 times as many died in fires, 147 times as many died in falls and 409 times as many died in highway accidents.
• On the average, a typical airliner maintenance schedule looks like this: en route check at every stop; preflight check every 65 hours of flight time; exterior cleaning every five days; maintenance check every 800 flight hours; engine overhaul every 5,000 flight hours; air­frame overhaul every 8,000 flight hours.
• A positive indication of the steady increase in the safety of air travel has been the reduction of trip in­surance rates. When it was first sold at airports, one dollar bought a $5,000 insurance policy for a domestic trip. Today, 50 cents buys up to $20,000 worth of in­surance.
• Insurance companies, many of which refused to sell life insurance to pilots before 1937, now consider an air­line pilot’s work just as safe as that of, for instance, a grocery sales clerk. Both pay the standard premiums. Among those who are charged extra premiums are dock workers, lumberjacks, bartenders and jockeys.
• A 1939 commercial transport plane carried S12,000 worth of electronic equipment for safer navigation. Today’s jets carry almost S200,000 worth.
• In the U.S. alone, scheduled airlines spend about $100 million a year for crew training.
• The estimated cost of an hour’s training in a 747 is more than $2,000, 2-3 times more than for the 707.
• The new 747 simulators cost an average of S2.5 million. This is comparable to the cost of a DC-7 or a Lockheed Super Constellation.
• Fire is not inevitable in a crash. A U.S. Government study of more than 200 accidents over a 10-year period showed that there was no fire after impact in 40 per cent of the mishaps.
• Pioneer Transatlantic flyer, Charles A. Lindbergh, on the flight that made him a world hero, had only 11 instru­ments in the cockpit of the “Spirit of St. Louis” – with no radio. A modern trans-ocean jet has more than 200 instruments plus more than a dozen radios.
• Pilots have a lot to say about new aircraft designs. One of the most frequently-used airliners of today incorpor­ated fully or partially 57 of the 63 changes in cockpit layout recommended by a pilot evaluation committee.

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DOODSBERIG

Ons maak die skielike heengaan van ‘n getroue vriend, mnr. P. D. (Flip) Gouws, op Kersdag, met diepe meegevoel bekend.

Flip het in 1955 by die Diens aangesluit en was deurgaans by die Suid­Afrikaanse Lugdiens werk­saam. Na wye ondervinding in verskeie afdelings het hy in 1962 as operateur op die tabuleerder begin werk en so saam daarmee ontwikkel tot rekenaarope­rateur.

Ten tye van sy afsterwe was hy ‘n senior operateur in die onderafdeling dataverwerking.

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