SAA Orange Tail

October/Oktober 1967

No. 46

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VERSATILE AIRLINER

S.A.A.’s seventh, and only QC (“quick change”) in the 727 fleet, capable of being converted from a passenger into a cargo aircraft in less than 30 minutes, recently arrived at Jan Smuts Airport from the Boeing Factory in Seattle. Named “Swakop”, it is at present being used as a normal passenger carrying aircraft and, except for the huge cargo door, out­wardly appears no different from any other 727.

Should the QC be cleared of seat and galley pallets, how­ever, the quick change operation takes shape. Cargo pallets are loaded aboard. The same ball transfer plate and rollers which helped to clear the cabin are used to quickly move the cargo into position. Each cargo pallet is locked to the deck and a barrier net is installed at the forward end of the compartment.

This picture, received from the manufacturers, shows the interior of a QC, stripped of seats. A bulky piece of. Cargo is being loaded.

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BESTUURSHOOF SPREEK VERENIGING VAN S.A. REISAGENTE TOE

Mnr. A. M. CONRADIE, bestuurshoof, het onlangs, toe hy die negende jaarkongres van die Vereniging van Suid­Afrikaanse Reisagente geopen het, die 1966-syters van die Internasionale Unie van Amptelike Reisorganisasies (IUOTO) aangehaal en gesê dat 128 miljoen toeriste verlede par die verskillende lande van die wëreld besoek het. D.ie reuse­bedrag van R9;100,000,000 is deur die mense in die onderskeie lande bestee. Mnr. Conradie het bygevoeg dat dit soms moeilik te verstaan is waarom rederye altyd gevra word om reisgeld to verlaag (ter wille van toerisme) terwyl daar by die ander elemente wat die toeristebedryf uitmaak, in die reël ‘n neiging tot stygende pryse is.

Die hotelbedryf is ook gemaan om horn nie te veel toe te spits op super-fuukse-hotelle wat nie beantwoord aan die behoeftes van die deursnee-toeris nie. Daar moet sorg gedra word dat Suid-Afrika nie ‘n te duur land vir toeriste word nie. Griekeland, Spanje en Portugal lok die menigtes juis vanweë hulle goedkoop vakansies. Suid-Afrika is nog binne die bereik van die gewone toeris, maar as pryse moet styg, sal die toeristebedryf gladnie so gunstig wees as in die genoemde drie lande nie.

Mnr. Conradie het verder gesë:

,,Ek meen daar is ‘n behoefte aan ‘n moderne en groot hotel, wat gerieflik geleë is, in Johannesburg. Dit moet netjiese en goeie verblyf bied, sonder om weelderig te wees -en teen pryse wat billik is volgens Suid-Afrikaanse stan­daarde.

„Hierby is daar ‘n groot tekort aan hotelle wat huisvesting kan bied aan toergroepe van 70 tot 100 lede. Ons kan net hoop dat teen die tyd dat die reuse-stralers na Suid-Afrika begin vlieg – waarskynlik nie voor 1972 nie-die plaaslike hotelbedryf in die behoeftes sal kan voorsien.

,,Ek het genoeg vertroue in die ondernemingsgees en mood van die plaaslike ondernemers om dit sonder hulp van lugrederye te doen: want ek is nie bewus van enige plan deur ‘n wêreldlugredery om soos elders in die wêreld, aktief betrokke te raak in die bou, onderhoud en/of finansiering van hotelskemas in Suid-Afrika nie.”

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“THANK YOU!”

The following is part of a letter received frorn Miss Sheila Scott, world famous lone flier and record holder from London to Cape Town and Cape Town to London:­

“I would like to take this opportunity of thanking South African Airways for the very great assistance they gave me during my actual record flights, particularly when I was pre­paring the Cape Town to London one. Various people from South African Airways rang up and helped me prepare for it in any way they could and, as you probably know, many Airline Captains talked to me in the air on both journeys; not only did they relay messages for me but also tucked in nice little messages of their own, which really helps when one is on a solo record flight and gives one a tremendous lift moral-wise.

“It was surprising how many friends I found in South African Airways and the nicest thing of all is that they are all just as interested in light aircraft as in the big jet air­craft.”

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CHARMING VISITORS

Another group of overborder contract staff visited South Africa on a familiarisation tour from September 2 to September 16.

Whilst revelling in the South African sunshine in front of the Rotunda in Johannesburg our photographer captured, from left to right, Misses G. F. Minoque, New York; G. Moore, London; G. Gaffe, Milan; C. Lopez, Madrid; and D. T, de Magalhaes, Geneva.

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DOODSBERIG

Dit is met diepe leedwese dat ons die skielike afsterwe van mnr. S. I. W. Smit van die afdeling Openbare Skakeldienste moet aankondig.

Smittie, soos hy gewoonweg by al sy kollegas en vriende bekend was, het op 24 Septem­ber in die betreklik jeugdige ouderdom van 48 jaar in sy slaap aan ‘n hartaanval beswyk. Vir al sy familie en sy groot aantal vriende en kennisse was sy skielike heengaan ‘n groot skok. Sy kollegas in die af­deling Skakeldienste, wat nou vir die derde keer binne twee jaar op so ‘n tragiese wyse van n vriend moes afskeid neem, is veral diep getref.

Mnr. Smit het altesaam 28 jaar diens gehad en was die afgelope vyf jaar aan Lugdiens verbonde. Verskeie van die artikels in hierdie uitgawe van S.A.L.-Nuus, soos vele ander tevore, is deur sy pen gelewer.

Aan sy weduwee en kinders bied ons orrs innige meegevoel. Ook ons mis hom baie.

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BOEING JET AIRLINERS LOG 10 MILLION HOURS IN THE AIR

The Boeing family of jet airliners now has flown more than 10 million hours in revenue service-the first jet fleet in the world to reach this milestone.

The 10-million-hour mark was passed late in June by one of the 1,009 aircraft delivered to that time. It came less than nine years after the first Boeing jetliner was accepted by an American airline on August 15, 1958.

Ten million hours of revenue flight time is the equivalent of more than 1,140 years of continuous flying, over nearly 4.5 billion route miles. More than 203 million passengers have been carried during these flights.

The 432-plane fleet of 707′s, now serving with 26 airlines, has compiled the most time in the air-6,029,162 hours. The 146 Boeing 720 models, in use with 16 carriers, have logged 2,435,738 hours in revenue service. The trijet 727′s, the most widely sold aircraft in commercial service today with 636 on order, have flown 1,872,748 hours over the scheduled air routes of 35 operating airlines.

Boeing jetliners currently are being delivered at a rate of about 24 a month. More than 1,680 have been ordered, with 1.050 already delivered. Including leased aircraft, Boeing jets are serving 57 airlines the world over. At last report, 354 cities in 126 countries were being served by Seattle-built jet­liners.

Each day these aircraft average more than 8,000 hours in the air over nearly 3.5 million miles of routes. More than 191,000 passengers travel on Boeing jet airliners each day.

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GOLDEN JUBILEE

Fifty and still going strong.

Yes, not fifty years old, but 50 years in the service of the S.A.R. and H.-the last year with South African Airways.

This is the story of Miss L. C. Smith (Lil to her many friends), at present a casual typist at the S.A.A. Centre who is only 66 years young and recently celebrated her 50th year in the Service. She re­fused to go into retirement on reaching the age limit six years ago, saying she was too young.

Miss Smith was born in Durban and joined the service there on September 10, 1917, as a short-hand typist. She later transferred to Johannes­burg and for a number of years she travelled back and forth to Cape Town for Parliamentary sessions.

She believes she is one of the most travelled girls in Southern Africa; having visited Natal about 300 times. She made good use of her free passes and toured just about every corner of South Africa, Mozambique, Rhodesia, Malawi and Zambia.

This year she visited Norway and hopes, one day, to visit America.

Best of luck, Miss Smith, and let us see how many more years you can add to your existing score. After all, 50 is only half-a-century!

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AFSKEIDSGROET

Met weemoed het ons gedurende die tweede helfte van September afskeid geneem van ons laaste Skymaster, ZS-AUB, Outeniqua, wat voortaan in die kleure van die S.A.L.M. gesien sal word.

Hierdie stoere staatmakers sal lank onthou word vir hulle betroubaarheid en die voortreflike diens wat hulle aan S.A.L. oor ‘n tydperk van meer as twintig jaar gelewer het. Hulle het o.a. die eerste ononderbroke vlugte tussen Johannesburg en Kaapstad moontlik gemaak en in 1946 die duur van die reis tussen Johannesburg en Londen van 2¹/₂ dae na 36 uur verminder.

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RAAR MAAR WAAR

Die Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens het onlangs ‘n pluimpie ontvang wat nie aldag uitgedeel word nie. Dit het soos volg gebeur:

Terwyl ‘n Boeing-707 op vlug 231 op 30 Augustus op die lughawe van Athene gestaan het, het twee fabrieksverteen­woordigers van die Boeingmaatskappy die vliegtuig deeglik ondersoek en agterna gesê dat dit die skoonste en besversorgde Boeing was wat hulle ooit gesien het.

Dis ‘n getuigskrif waarop die manne op Jan Smuts met reg trots kan wees.

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NUWE AANSTELLINGS

Die volgende nuwe aanstellings het onlangs van krag geword:

(Links): Mnr. J. B. Bester, se ampstitel is nou Adjunk – handels direkteur (Verkope en Bemarking). (Regs): Mnr. J. A. Hegers , Assistent­superintendent is be­vorder tot Tariewe­bestuurder.

(Links): Mnr. A. S. Cronje, Assistent­superintendent is be­vorder tot Besprekings­bestuurder. (Regs): Mnr. W. V. Viviers, Assistent­superintendent is be­vorder tot Beplannings­bestuurder.

(Links): Mnr J. R. Scott, Assistent-super­intendent is bevordcr tot Bestuurder Grond­hantering. (Regs): Mnr. J. G. P. Prins, hoofklerk is be­vorder tot Eersteklerk, afdeling Grondhante­ring.

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IN HOË GESELSKAP

Mnr. Willie Hurter, die S.A.L se bestuurder vir Spanje in Madrid, was onlangs een van ‘n groep van agt-en­twintig bestuurders van lugrederye in Spanje wat deur die staatshoof van Spanje, generaal Franco, in die Pradopaleis ontvang is.

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EARN MORE SMILES… AND CUSTOMERS

Regular newspaper and magazine readers have no doubt noticed the eye-catching composite advertisement currently appearing on behalf of our airline. It exhorts would-be travellers, inter alia, to: discover new horizons with their own airline, telling them that Europe is only a night’s sleep away, with a choice of eight great cities; go Boeing 707 Stratojet, the world’s most accomplished air­liner, equipped with the air’s best seats …. it tells them of eating, sleeping, stretching in comfort, and of S.A.A.’s multi-stopover facilities and fast flights between London and Johannesburg, etc., and then winds up with the promise of finding friendly folk in the air… on the ground… en route… at destinations… in S.A.A.’s offices on four continents. S.A.A. advertising policy has, through the years, observed the rule of not making extravagant claims which cannot be substantiated. The facts quoted in the advertisement in ques­tion are correct and, judging by the many unsolicited letters received from passengers, the service we offer in the air is second to none anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, the same cannot always unequivocally be said about service on the ground, and the italicised part of our advertisement has recently been thrown in our face, the complainant stating emphatically that the unfriendly attitude of certain counter staff has influenced him in giving preference to a competitor airline on his frequent overseas visits. If we know what made us unacceptable to lost customers, we also know in what direction our efforts to improve lie; perhaps the following quotation is appropriate in the circumstances:

A customer is the most important person ever in this office -in person, by mail or telephone. A customer is not dependent on us-we are dependent on him. A customer is not an interruption of our work-he is the purpose of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him-he is doing us a favour by giving us the opportunity of doing so. A customer is not an outsider to our business-he is part of it. A customer is not a cold statistic-he is a flesh and blood human being with feelings and emotions like your own, and with biasses and prejudices. A customer is not someone to argue with or match wits with-nobody ever won an argument with a customer. A customer is a person who brings us his wants. It is our job to handle them profitably to him and to ourselves.

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SPOGWYNE VIR S.A.L.

Die beste span wynproewers in die land hot onlangs twee landwyne van die allerbeste gehalte in Kaapstad uitgesoek om in die smaak te val en die verhemelte te streel van vroue wat op vliegtuie van die S.A.L. na die buiteland reis.

Die een is ‘n half-soet tafelwyn van die rosê-tipe, met ‘n alkohol-inhoud van nie meer as 21.05 persent nie, en die ander ‘n volgeurige, half-soet wit tafelwyn.

Die S.A.L. verskaf reeds twee tipes wit en twee tipes rooi wyne op sy vlugte na die buiteland. Nadat die wynproewers se keuse deur die Tenderraad goedgekeur is, sal die twee wyne ook oar ‘n maand of twee op vliegtuie verkrygbaar wees.

Mnre. N. S. Louw, handelsdirekteur en W. W. Sly, kajuitdiensbestuurder, het die uitsoek van die wyne bygewoon.

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