SAA Orange Tail

Junie/June 1975

No. 138

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DIT WAS DIE DAE

Die ontvangs van ‘n historiese foto van die SAL se advertensie­agent in Duitsland – aan wie ons ons innige dank betuig – het ons in staat gestel om ‘n interessante ver­gelyking te tref met ‘n ander foto wat ons so pas van die Boeingmaat­skappy se hoofkantoor in Seattle ontvang het.

Die eerste foto wat op 29 Okto­ber 1934 geneem is, toon die eerste drie Junkers JU52-vliegtuie wat deur die pasgestigte Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens bestel is. Die vliegtuie het so pas van Dessau in Duitsland opgestyg, op pad na Lugdienshoof­kantoor in Durban, ‘n afstand van ongeveer 10 000 kilometer. Dit is laat daardie jaar in ‘n tydskrif van die Suid-Afrikaanse Spoorweë ge­boekstaaf dat die aankoms van due drie vliegtuie by Stamford Hill vliegveld in Durban amper ‘n op roer veroorsaak het. Die skare was verstom oor wat toe beskou was ‘n ontsaglike grootte vir ‘n vliegtuig en die passasiers wat van Johannesburg af gekom het, het moeilikheid ondervind toe hulle van die drie vliegtuie afgeklim het as gevolg van die woelende massas wat opgedaag het om daardie „reuse van die lug” te besigtig.

Dit is interessant om te weet dat die Junkers JU52′s veertig uur ge­neem het om Johannesburg op daardie geskiedkundige reis te be­reik en dat hulle tot ‘n topsnelheid van 224 kilometer per uur in staat was. Toegerus met drie 340kN Pratt en Whitney Wasp-motore, kon hulle veertien passasiers in ‘n redelike mate van gemak vervoer.

Een-en-veertig jaar het ongeloof­like vooruitgang op die terrein van !ugvaartkunde gesien, en die jongste passasiersvliegtuig wat sy debuut maak is doe Boeing 747SP, waarvan die Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens drie bestel het. Ontwerp om die grootte gaping tussen 707′s en die standaard 747′s te vul, is die nuwe “Junior Jumbo” omtrent vyvtien meter korter as die standaardmodel en dra omtrent honderd passasiers minder.

Die uitstootfunksie by die Boeingaanleg by Everett op 19 Mei was ‘n spesiale geleentheid met toeskours wat in hulle hope opgedaag het om Boeing se jongste afstameling te bewonder. Tog wonder ‘n mens of die ongelowigheid van die toeskouers op daardie dag in Durban, daar in 1934, enigsins naastenby geewenaar is deur die bewondering waarmee die Boeing-prototipe die groot skare by Everett vervul het. Kan dit wees dat die snelle opeenvolging van wetenskaplike wonders wat deur die moderne eeu opgelewer word, veroorsaak het dat ons blase geword het oor sulke prestasies?

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BESTUURSHOOF ONTMOET DIE PERS

By ‘n informele samekoms vandeesmaand in die Raadsaal by die SAL-sentrum, is lede van die plaaslike pers en radio die geleentheid gegun om ons nuwe bestuurshoof te ontmoet.

In sy toespraak het kaptein Pienaar ‘n kort opsomming van die 1974-boekjaar gegee en nog ‘n gunstige balans vir die 1974/5-jaar voorspel. Gedurende die boekjaar wat op 31 Maart 1974 geëindig het, het die SAL 2,5 miljoen passasiers vervoer in vergelyking met die rekord van 2 776 267 wat gedurende die jaar wat op 31 Maart 1975 geëindig het, vervoer is. Vragstatistiek toon ‘n toename van 36 594 tot 42 781 ton oor hierdie tydperk. Kaptein Pienaar het die pers op hoogte van sake gebring wat die bedrywighede van die lugredery betref, deur bekend te maak dat die drie B747 SP-vliegtuie, wat deur die SAL bestel is, gedurende Maart, April en Mei aanstaande jaar, afgelewer sal word. Twee B747 SP-dienste na New York oor Sal-eiland word ook beplan om in April volgendê jaar te begin. Hy het ook bevestig dat daar tot dusver nog geen besluit geneem is oor die tipe vliegtuie wat vir gebruik op die binnelandse (Johannesburg-Kaapstad/Durban) roetes aangekoop gaan word nie. Die aard van die ombouing wat tans aan die gang is om die huidige vloot Boeing 747B’s na 747 Super B’s te verander, is ook deur kaptein Pienaar verduidelik. Kaptein Pienaar het aangedui dat nuwe dienste vir die toekoms hopelik vanaf 1 April volgende jaar ‘n weeklikse SAL-diens na Buenos Aires en later die moontlike uitbreiding van die huidige Hongkong-diens na Tokio sal insluit. Die Bestuurshoof het ook bekend gemaak dat die lugredery beoog om alle B707-dienste na Europa met B747′s te vervang sodra die nuwe 747SP­ vliegtuie afgelewer word. Sodoende sal die B707′s vir gebruik op die binnelandse en sekere van die ander internasionale roetes vrygestel word.

Die personeelmotiveringsveldtogte wat die lugredery oor die afgelope paar jaar van stapel gestuur het, was besonder suksesvol en kaptein Pienaar het gesê dat hy trots daarop is om personeel te hê wat met die geesdrif van diegene in die lugredery besiel is.

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THE IATA CLEARING HOUSE

The integrated international air transport system, developed by the world scheduled airlines in their co-operative work through IATA, allows individual or groups of travellers and cargo shippers to book complex routings, perhaps using the interlining services of many different airlines, against a single fixed charge and payment in one currency. The customer himself is only interested in the scheduling and transportation which he has pur­chased, and has no direct interest in the method employed to achieve distribution of the purchase money to the various airlines providing the transportation. The airlines actually providing the transportation how­ever, have a critical requirement to ensure that they receive payment for their part of the transaction, and this is the vital function of the IATA Clearing House. Historical Development In the early days of air transpor­tation, carriers maintained accounts with each other not only in their national currencies but frequently also in the currency of the ticket sale. The many inconveniences and disadvantages of this cumbersome system were soon apparent and resulted, by 1926, in a restriction of the number of currencies used in accounting between any two air­liness to the national currencies of the two carriers concerned. Thus, for example, a KLM bill to Sabena was charged either in Dutch guil­ders or Belgian francs and a Sabena bill to Lufthansa in Belgian francs or German marks. Now, however, although practice permits the air­line members to lodge their claims in about 50 of the 168 currencies in which IATA Members deal, the Clearing House makes all settle­ments in the two major interna­tional currencies – the U.S. dollar and the pound Sterling, which are also the basis of negotiating all IATA passenger fares and cargo rates. The IATA Clearing House was set up in London in January 1947. Its primary purpose was to substi­tute a single industry-wide monthly settlement for the sporadic settle­ments of the past, so that debts could be offset and the total amount of money changing hands drastically reduced. This was parti­cularly significant at a time when foreign exchange was exceedingly scarce. The secondary purpose of the Clearing House was to_. protect the creditor airlines against major fluctuations in foreign currencies and to avoid the invisible brokerage costs involved in purchasing and disposing of foreign exchange. A clear demonstration of the success of this operation can be seen in the fact that during its 27 year existence almost 90 percent of the overall total of bills received by the Clearing House has been settled without the actual transfer of funds. A highlight example was seen in the January 1968 clearance when one airline cleared accounts amounting to R31 038. 871,50 with a cash transfer of a mere R3 151,50. If there had been no Clearing House this airline would have been forced to collect or directly settle nearly R16,5 million with over 93 other carriers in many foreign currencies. Costs The net annual cost of the clear­ing service is shared by the Member airlines porportionally to their gross annual claims. In the 1947 year the cost was R975,00 per R750 000,00 of gross annual claims, but by 1974 this figure had been reduced to zero by virtue of the investment management of the short-term settlement funds passing through the Clearing House control.

Annual Turnover Growth The gross annual turnover pro­cessed by the Clearing House – the total of claims made by and charged against every Mem­ber – has increased from R39 mil­lion in 1947 to over R6 750 mil­lion in the 1974 year.

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SIR GALAHAD RIDES A VOLKSIE

Did you hear the one about the travelling salesman? It seems that a certain member of SAA’s “Foreign Legion” – the ethnic group sales team, for those who haven’t heard – was tootling back from Pretoria in his Airways Volksie when he found his path blocked by an SAA bus. In no particular hurry, he bided his time until the way ahead was clear for him to pull out and overtake.

Without warning, a torrent of water, oil, r;,ud, steam and heaven knowns what else issued from the rear of the bus and in moments the Volksie’s windscreen was a sticky, murky mess, completely obliterating the driver’s view of the road. ‘Midst muttered curses in Greek and frantic fumblings for the switch, our hero managed to turn on the windscreen wipers and clear his vision enough to go in pursuit of the offending bus, which appeared in danger of exploding at any minute.

Wild gestures and repeated toots on the horn eventually served to convince the bus driver that he had better pull over or face being run off the road by a maniac in a VW. A quick appraisal of the situation followed, and it was obvious that the driver had a very sick bus on his hands. Too sick to go another meter, anyway! But what to do about the passengers, three of whom were in imminent danger of missing their flight to Bulawayo?

In movie-maker’s terms, we cut now to a stretch of open highway, a few miles from the airport and approaching in the distance is a tiny Volkswagen. As it draws nearer we can just make out through the smudged windscreen that there are four occupants, two men and two women. The car is travelling at great speed, well in excess of the speed limit, in fact, but we just have time, as it flashes past, to note that it is crammed to capacity with luggage and that even the poor driver has a suitcase on his lap!

Well, suffice it to say that these three passengers eventually made their plane to Bulawayo, but only after our hero had used all his persuasive powers to get the departure staff to delay the flight. His reward for this sterling effort – a prime example of what can be done to boost the “Can I Help? ” image – was a charming letter from one of the passengers, who happened to be extremely well connected in aviation circles.

Well done, Chris Christofides, who, we feel sure, would have preferred to remain nameless.

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VYV JAAR VIR KAAPDREIGEMENT

Mnr. Kevin James Jeffers is vandeesmaand in die Preto­riase Hooggeregshof tot vyf jaar tronkstraf, met twee jaar voorwaardelik opgeskort, ge­vonnis, op ‘n alternatiewe aan­klag dat hy, gedurende ‘n vlug, ingemeng het in die uitvoering van die vliegbemanning se plig­te.

Jeffers het aan ‘n lid van die bemanning op ‘n vlug vroeër vanjaar tussen Durban en Johannesburg gesê dat hy die vliegtuig gaan kaap.

Die regter het gesê dit is betekenisvol dat Jeffers nie onmiddellik nadat hy gearre­steer is voorgegee het dat hy ‘n poets gebak het nie. Hy was tevrede dat Jeffers bewus was van wat hy gesê het toe hy die dreigement gemaak het.

Die prokureur-generaal van Transvaal het gesê dat hy ‘n dure plig teenoor die Suid­Afrikaanse Lugdiens en ander wêreldlugrederye en hulle pas­sasiers het om ‘n swaar vonnis aan te vra. Hy het gesê dat die afskrikkende uitwerking van die vonnis van die uiterste belang is en dat hierdie kan­keragtige kwaad nooit weer toegelaat moet word om sy nare kop in hierdie land uit te steek nie. Hy het geëindig deur te sê dat die publiek ‘n reg het om te weet dat hulle in veilig­heid sal kan reis.

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OUR CHIEF IN NEW YORK

Captain Pienaar on his first official visit to our New York office since his appointment as Chief Executive. He is here seen with Reg Brett (right), Manager, North America and Carl Gagiano, Manager, Eastern U.S.A.

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HIEROGLYPHICS, JAPANESE OR SANSCRIT

Take a good look and guess.

Whatever your answer you’re probably wrong. It’s the bill Johnny Hegers, SAA’s Assistant Commercial Director (Tariffs and lata Mattërs) was recently presented with when he had dinner with a group of friends at the restaurant “La Farigoule”, in Nice, France.

Mr. Hegers was the SAA delegate to the IATA Traffic Conference held in Nice between 17 and 26 April.

Now that you know the “squiggly scrawlies” represented dishes on a menu – would you like to hazard another guess at what they had to eat? Don’t try to hard – give up and read on – it was French Onion Soup, Salad and Muscles for two. Entrees were Veal with Mushrooms and, Chicken for three. Two bottles of wine completed the order – and the total bill – 108 French Francs, (approximately R30)

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FROM JUMBOS TO SWARTRUGGENS

After winging his way in on flight SA 239 from London via Lisbon, on 29 May 1975, Captain Barrie Steyn bid his many airline friends and colleagues adieu at a farewell presentation arranged in his honour.

Barrie commenced his flying career during the Second World War when he was transferred from the 4th Armoured Division to the SAAF. At the end of hostilities he was transferred to the Royal Air Force where he served for a number of years- two of which were spent in the United Kingdom and a further two spent in Singapore after he had completed a Transport Command course.

It was from Singapore that Barrie applied to South African Airways for a position and during the same year, 1951, he came to South Africa to take up his post with the            airline. Like all captains, Barrie passed through the mill and climbed the ranks of the stepladder until he became commander of the B747. “Wagensboomskop” a beautiful farm situated in the Swartruggens district is to be Barrie’s haven in the future. During his years with SAA both he and his family have worked hard to stock the farm and now that all is ready they have decided to “call it a day” and settle down to the simple life of farming. Barrie is the father of 4 daughters, the eldest a qualified nurse at present studying Paediatrics in the U.K., another is doing a BA degree at Potchefstroom University and the two babies, keen swimmers, are in standards seven and two.

In his farewell speech Barrie conveyed his thanks to all the crews he had flown with, and his special thanks to Wally Pearce for the many hours of patient assistance he afforded each and every member of the cockpit crew in the simulator.

Good luck with your new venture Barrie.

A farewell gift from the flying crew is handed to Barrie

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THE ORANGE CAP

The “orange-cap”, found at every airport, plays an important role in the departure procedure of all aircraft.

With gradings of either Senior or Grade I Clerks these young men are responsible for the loading and unloading of aircraft. It is their duty to arrange and co-ordinate the services needed at each aircraft in such a manner as to avoid congestion.

The orange-caps and senior orange-caps are the men around whom the major part of aircraft ground handling revolves. The orange cap’s foremost duty is to ensure that thereare sufficient loaders available to perform the necessary duties at the aircraft. He then delegates duties to his loaders and supplies them with load plans, previously obtained from Departure Control, instructing them on the loading procedures to be followed. During the loading of the aircraft he keeps a watchful eye over the progress and must also obtain the fuel weight figures which he has to pass on to the engineering staff attending that specific aircraft.

His duties include furthermore, forming a link between the senior flight steward, the engineer and the Captain or his subordinate and ascertaining the time passengers may commence boarding the aircraft. While he is awaiting the arrival of the passengers he has to see to it that the vehicles and equipment used during the loading of the freight, baggage and mail are removed from the area.

After loading has been completed according to the load plans the orange-cap together with the engineer ensures that the hold doorss are securely closed, and once the trim clerk has completed his formalities on board the aircraft the passenger steps are removed under the orange-cap’s supervision.

Although his duties may seem to be complete at this stage, they ate in fact not, as he still has to remain with the aircraft until it commences its taxi towards the hold blocks on the runway, and his final task is to complete the AW74 form which makes provision for the logging of times at which the different facets of his task took place.

Very much the same duties are performed in the handling of incoming flights.

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NEW SET UP

With the recent appointment of Captain S (Pi) Pienaar from Direc­tor (Flight Operations) to Chief Executive, the following changes in the designations in other positions have resulted.

Mr. M.E. Smuts – former Director (Technical and Financial Con­trol) – appointed to the newly establish­ed position of Deputy Chief Executive.

Mr. A.N. Davidson – former De­puty Technical Director, appointed to the position of Technical Direc­tor.

Captain L.G. van Renen – for­mer Chief Fleet Captain – appoint­ed as Director (Flight Operations).

Captain W.F. Steytler – former Fleet Captain (Internal and Regional Services) becomes Fleet Captain, (Overseas Ser­vices).

Captain J.C. Lamprecht - becomes Chief Pilot (Internal and Regional Ser­vices).

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