SAA Orange Tail

July/Julie 1970

Nr. 79

DIE S.A.L. OP SAAFARI

Die eerste opleidingskursus vir die instelling van die S.A.L. se SAAFARI (South African Airways’ Fully Automated Reservations Installation) het op 1 Julie 1970 by die S.A.L.­sentrum, Johannesburg, ‘n aanvang geneem.

Die 32 kursusgangers is uit verskillende afdelings van die lugredery in Johannesburg en buitestasies gekies en hier word twee gesien waar hulle na hulle televisieskerms kyk waarop antwoorde op versoeke vir sitplekke binne sekondes geflits sal word.

Die aanvangskursus sal deur verskeie andere gevolg word totdat genoeg personeel opgelei is om die geouto­matiseerde plekbesprekings- en boodskapskalelingstelsel van R6-miljoen te beman. Die toerusting sal na verwagting op 1 Oktober vanjaar gereed wees vir boodskapskakelings­prosedure, terwyl die plekbesprekingstelstel gedurende Februarie 1971 in werking gestel word.

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ANOTHER RECORD

S.A.A. has added another achievement to its long list of records when the Boeing 707 ZS-SAE “Windhoek” set up a new record for the flight from Rio de Janeiro to Johannes­burg on July 14, 1970, by reducing the scheduled flying time of 8 hrs. 10 min. to 6 hrs. 36 mins. (take-off to touch down) for the distance of 4,480 statute miles.

Due to favourable tailwinds an average ground speed of 690 m.p.h. and a maximum speed of 743 m.p.h. was attained. The average wind component was 138 m.p.h. (120 knots).

Our congratulations to the Commander, Capt. W. (Bill) van Rensburg, First Officer C. Chandler and Navigator F. Smith who utilized the added booster to good advantage.

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S.A.A.’s HUNDRED – PINTAMEN

Mr. E. J. “Eddie” Manson, Assistant Station Manager at the H. F. Verwoerd Airport, Port Elizabeth, gives his 100th pint of blood in the picture above. His present score is 112 pints and with only two years and a bit to go for pension Eddie avers that he has plenty more to give. At the time this photograph was taken about two and a half years ago, Eddie was the third Port Elizabeth donor to have reached the 100th milestone. Eddie started donating blood in 1942 when he was stationed at the Rand Airport. He settled in Port Elizabeth in 1959 and gave his 25th pint in Johannesburg, his 50th pint in East London and his 75th in Port Elizabeth.

After giving his 100th pint Eddie said he had a feeling of great satisfaction that he had reached this milestone and hoped other donors would also aim for it. He is in good health and looking forward to many years in retirement when his pensionable age arrives.

Incidentally, we know of another hundred-pinta man in S.A.A. in the person of Mr. Solly Fineberg of the Revenue Accounting Office, Airways Centre, Johannesburg, whose blood-drawing story was featured in our April, 1969 issue. His present score – 109 pints.

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WITS CHAIR OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING

The Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the Witwatersrand, Dr. G. R. Bozzoli, has announced that the University is exploring the possibility of establishing a Chair in Aeronautical Engineering. This, he said, was due to the importance of the aeronautical industry to the security and economic development of this country. Stellen­bosch University already offers a B.Sc. course in aero­nautical Engineering.

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S.A.A. SWITCHES TO “BOADICEA”

During 1968 plans were made for some of S.A.A’s overseas reservations offices to be connected to B.O.A.C’s real-time reservations system, BOADICEA, and these plans have now been implemented in Birmingham, Frankfurt, Glasgow, London, Los Angeles, Manchester, New York, Paris, Rome, San Francisco, Toronto and Zurich. Just as BOADICEA has enabled B.O.A.C. to place its air reservations facilities on a world-wide basis, S.A.A’s new highly computerised reservations system, SAAFARI, will equip South Africa’s national airline with the same service. SAAFARI (South African Airways’ Fully Automated Reservations Installation) will be installed early in 1971.

S.A.A’s Frankfurt office became the first of the airline’s offices in Europe to be linked directly with BOADICEA and in the photo above, the S.A.A. Supervisor in Frankfurt, Mrs. Schobel (right) and her colleague, Mrs. Stout are seen making the first two bookings on this fantastic new com­puter.

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AVION PARK DARTS AND SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIPS

Competition was keener than ever this year when the Avion Park darts and snooker club held its annual champion­ship tournament at Avion Park Club recently. For the first time since its formation the snooker sec­tion competed for a trophy. The trophy, a fine silver cup was presented as a floating trophy for the annual snooker doubles championship by the “Old Bill” and members of the Remembrance Shellhole of the “Memorable Order of Tin Hats” (M.O.T.H.) to promote interest in the game.

The champions seen in the photo with the trophy are Messrs. Willie Kemp (left) and (Blackie) G. Swart (right) who, after losing the first two of a five frame contest defeated the runners-up Messrs. W. “Bill’ Sly and Vernon Adlard by three frames to two in a very close contest.

Other champions of the year selected during the even­ing were:

Snooker singles, Mr. Don Wessels.

Darts doubles, Messrs. W. Kemp and P. Kemp.

Darts singles, Mr. C. Olivier.

Whilst congratulating the new champs we wish to thank the M.O.T.H’s of Remembrance Shellhole on behalf of the Club for a very fine gesture.

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U.S. EXECUTIVE AIRCRAFT FLEET TOPS 24,000

A survey held by the National Industrial Conference Board shows 12,000 U.S. companies currently operate over 24,000 aircraft, outnumbering the nation’s airline fleet by 12 to one. Most planes are single and twin engine propeller types, but an increasing number of companies is buying or leasing jet aircraft.

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VEELS GELUK

‘n Heuglike gebeurtenis het hom onlangs afgespeel toe mnr. Cassie Marais, bestuurder, verkope en ontwikkeling en mev. Marais hul 25ste troudag herdenk het.

Die geleentheid wat op 30 Junie plaasgevind het, het toevallig saamgeval met ‘n skemerparty wat deur die Brasiliaanse lugredery, Varig, gehou is ter viering van die instelling van hul diens tussen Rio de Janeiro en Johannes­burg.

Op die foto hierbo verskyn Cassie en Susan saam met mnr. Johan Grobbelaar, bestuurder, bemarking en toere, (regs) wat strooijonker vir die egpaartjie was.

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SUID-AFRIKA VIR HAAR

Een van die groep van agtien jong lugwaardinne wat onlangs hul opleidingskursus voltooi het is mej. Ulrike Borck op die foto langsaan.

Ulrike wat in Oos-Duitsland gebore is het Suid-Afrika drie jaar gelede vir die eerste keer as lugwaardin van ‘n ander redery besoek en was so beindruk met die land dat sy daar en dan be­sluit het om dit haar nuwe tuiste to rnaak.

Terwyl sy voorheen in die reklameafdeling van ‘n sake­ onderneming werksaam was, het sy gou geleer om Afrikaans vlot te praat, te lees en te skryf en tans is dit moeilik om te besef dat Afrikaans nie haar moedertaal is nie.

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VLIEËNDE VAANDELS

Ons foto toon mnr. A. M. Conradie, bestuurshoof, saam met vier volwaardige lugvaarttegnici by geleentheid van die jaarlikse prysuitdeling na afloop van hul vakleerlingkursus wat onlangs op Jan Smutslughawe ten einde geloop het. Die manne wat hul trofeë hier so trots vashou, het dit verwerf deur die hoogste punte in verskillende kategorieë te behaal, en is van links na regs: mnre, E. K. Crouch, T. J. Portellas, W. D. van Gass en A. R. J. Blomerus. Mnr. Conradie, wat die hoofrede by vanjaar se prysuit­deling op Jan Smutslughawe gelewer het, het onder andere aan die manne gesê dat daar in die Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens ‘n diepe besef van die waarde van deeglike opgeleide vak­kundiges is en dat dit om die rede is dat in ons organisasie daar soveel klem gelê word op opleiding. Mnr. Conradie het voorts gesê dat ons van die stand­punt uitgaan dat ons goeie mensemateriaal het om mee te werk . . . die Lugdiensvakleerlinge baie sorgvuldig gekeur word – en dat ons geroepe is om van die beste en mees moderne geriewe en tegnieke gebruik te maak om daardie mensemateriaal op die mees doelmatige wyse te kan benut.

,,Ons instrukteurs, soos u ongetwyfeld self agtergekom het,” het mnr. Conradie gesê, „ is bekwame en toegewyde manne wat die belange van die Lugdiens en van die vak­leerlinge op die hart dra. Niks gee hulle groter bevrediging as om te sien dat ‘n groep vakleerlinge goed presteer nie. Hulle is trots op hul werk en ewe trots op die prestasies wat hul leerlinge behaal.

„Die feit dat so baie van hulle na die be­treklike kort leertyd in die vaardigheidstoets kan slaag, getuig enersyds van die deeglikheid van hulle opleiding en andersyds van die ywer en vasberadenheid waarmee hulle hul taak aangepak het.” Met bewustheid hiervan, het mnr. Conradie ten slotte gesê „Hou steeds die skouer aan die wiel en onthou dat ‘n pligsgetroue lugvaarttegnikus nooit ophou om te leer nie”.

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S.A.A’s NEW OFFICES NEW YORK

The photograph shows the reception area in S.A.A”s ultra­modern New York offices. The futuristic concept of the offices is heightened by the design of the furniture and the mural in the background.

South African Airways officially opened plush new offices at 605 Fifth Avenue, New York, last month to serve the growing traffic on its New York -Johannesburg service by way of Rio de Janeiro. The offices were created by virtually rebuilding an existing six storey structure between 48th and 49th Streets. The renovations and furnishing took nearly a year to com­plete at a cost of R312,000. S.A.A. will occupy the basement, ground floor and first floor, leasing out the other four to other business. As and when traffic increases on the New York service the airline which has a 21 year lease dating from July 1, 1969 to June 30, 1990, can take over other floors.

The offices have the largest plate glass windows on exclusive Fifth Avenue. According to the architects they are as large as any windows in the United States. Each 22 ft. high and 8 ft, wide and 4 in. thick, the windows cover both the ground and first floors.

The office is linked to South Africa through London with a computer system capable of giving information in less than a minute, on seats on any S.A.A. flight.

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ICAO BACKS HIJACKING CURBS

A virtually unanimous strongly-worded resolution was adopted by ICAO, asking all countries to enact security laws to protect aircraft and passengers from hijackers. Among recommendations was intensification of airport security with higher fences; night time illumination and electronic alarms; stricter passenger indentification and screening of employees and visitors to departure areas and security patrols for refuelling areas.

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PORT ELIZABETH VIER GROOT SETLAARSFEES

Die inwoners van Port Elizabeth het op Saterdag 13 Junie 1970 in hul duisende langs die stad se hoofstrate saamgedrom om ‘n deel van Suid-Afrika se geskiedenis van 150 jaar gelede te herleef deur die pragtige sierwaens wat die landing van die 1820 setlaars in Algoabaai voorgestel het, in ‘n groot optog te sien verbygaan.

Behalwê die talle geskiedkundige sierwaens in die optog, was daar ook die een wat die Spoorweë, Hawens en Lug­diens voorgestel het.

Die S.A.L. is groot en waardig verteenwoordig deur twee grondwaardinne, Glenis Lesar en Lydia Roux, wat hier in uniform voorop die indrukwekkende voertuig gesien kan word.

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ACTIVE MAN

Chris Herbst, District Sales Manager, Cape Town, has added yet another feather to his cap by being elected Chairman of the Skal Club of Cape Town for 1970.

This is the first time since the in­ception of this Club that an S.A.A. re­presentative has been bestowed with this honour. The Club consists of 105 members and the following Council Members were also elected:- Vice­Chairman: Mr. M. Bower, Manager, Thos Cook & Son; Mr. L. Watson, United Touring Corp.; Mr. H. Hall, Manager, Grosvenor Car Hire; Mr. E. Ascott-Evans, Manager, Tulbagh Hotel; Mr. C. Hegardt, D.S.M., S.A.S. Airlines; Mr. D. Johnson, Manager, American Ex­press; Mr. E. Alard, D.S.M., K.L.M. Air­lines; Mr. L. Hilton, Manager, Castel­ marine; Mr. R. Strydom, D.S.M., Air Rhodesia. Secretary: Mr. S. O’Connor, Manager, Mitchell Cotts. Treasurer. Mr. P. Hare, Manager, Namaqualand Airways.

Judging from this list, it is realized in what high esteem Chris must be held with this organisation.

Chris’s interest in public activities doesn’t end here, far apart from this, he is also a senior member of the “Kaapstadse Afrikaanse Sakekamer” as well as Associate Member of the Cape Town Branch of the Institute of Market Management.

S.A.A. is proud to have its presence felt in such a laudable way.

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