SAA Orange Tail

April 1976
No. 147

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SP – AFLEWERINGSVLUG

ZS-SPA „Matroosberg” die eerste van die Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens se Boeing 747SP-vliegtuie, is hier besig om van die lughawe by
die Boeingfabriek in Seattle op te styg vir sy rekordgeenstopvlug na Kaapstad

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A CALL TO RALLY

The present economic recession world-wide, and to no lesser extent in South Africa, has brought in its wake a slowing down in traffic volumes. When the budget for 1975/76 was compiled, a revival in the economic activities was expected to take place towards the middle of last year. Unfortunately, this expectation was not realised and the indications now are that the revival will be considerably retarded, possibly even till the end of this year.

It would appear that the Administration is already heading for a considerable loss in the current financial year. Addi­tionally, the ever rising cost of living index has compelled the different staff unions to make representations for relief to the Government. Any adjustment in this connection would inevita­bly entail an increase in tariffs which would undoubtedly keep the critical eye of the public fixed even more on each and every member of the staff, and the quality of the service he or she renders.

Although there is no reason for unnecessary pessimism, it is clear that there are difficult times ahead, particularly in view of the enormous expenditure on new equipment, and a special appeal has been made by the Chief Executive to supervisory officers to curtail expenditure in every possible way and ensure that thorough control is exercised over the utilisation of staff and the working of overtime and Sunday-time.

Another extreme cause for concern is the tremendous amount paid out in respect of claims. This is undoubtedly an area in which the wholehearted co-operation of the staff and, in particular, controlling officers, can deal the death-blow to wastage.

Although very useful, meetings and discussions are time-con­suming and should be limited to urgent matters.

In view of this serious state of affairs which is developing, any factor which could conceivably bring about more efficient working and saving, should be thoroughly considered and, where possible, implemented. But to this end, the wholehearted support of each and every member of the staff is a pre-requisite.

So come on, all hands on deck!

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SAA TO RICHARDS BAY

With effect from 1 April 1976 South African Airways introduced a service between Durban and Richards Bay (RCB). The flights are under­taken by Messrs. Emric Air Services on behalf of SAA, using 10 seater aircraft which operate two daily frequencies from Mondays to Friday

The flights depart frorn Richards Bay on their 40 minute journey to Durban at 07h30 and 15h15 and return at 08h45 and 16h35 on the same day.

In accordance with the con­tract South African Airways has undertaken to control all traffic and apron handling ser­vices at both airports. The newly appointed Station Manager and his staff at Richards Bay airport also function as a reservations and sales office, and in addition to this have to process all passen­gers, baggage, cargo and mail.

Besides the passengers and their baggage, provision has also been made in the aircraft for the carriage of a limited amount of cargo and mail. Housemail will also be con­veyed between the two points by Emric Air Services.

The passenger fare from Durban to Richards Bay and vica versa is R19,00 in either direction with cargo rates of 9c and 7c for under 45 kg and over 45 kg respectively, sub­ject to a minimum charge of R1,70.

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NEW FACE IN AVIATION MEDICINE

Dr. E.B. Peters has recently joined the Aviation Medicine Section of South African Air­ways as the Assistant Director (Aviation Medicine).

Dr. Peters is a graduate of the University of Cape Town’s medical faculty and practised anaesthetics at Groote Schuur Hospital before accepting the appointment with SAA. When SAA News visited him recent­ly at his Jan Smuts Airport office, Dr. Peters was still finding his feet and meeting the flight deck crew members who fall under his care.

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FLYING ARTIST

Raymond Andrews the 28 year old artist who joined the ranks of South African Airways’s Flight Stewards at the beginning of the year, has been described as “One of the most talented young artists I have ever met”, by the well-known artist, Cecil Skotnes, and that was in 1967 when Raymond was only 19.                                           ,

At that tender age our East London born artist was granted permission, by the Association of Arts, to hold a one-man exhibition in the Associations gallery. This was the first of a series of exhibitions which, in the years that followed, was held all over the world, and made ‘Raymond Andrews’ an esteemed name in art circles. In his first two years on his own, Raymond exhibited in a one-man show and in a Canadian/South African group show in Canada, where eleven pictures were shown. He also participated in three other group exhibitions in the Republic.

He started his training at the East London School of Arts and later moved to the Johannesburg School of Arts. He also worked and trained under Cecil Skotnes for several years and expanded his knowledge of sculpture, bronze casting, stained glass and engraving techniques under Ernest Ullman. His most prominent media of expression today is undoubtedly woodcuts and metal engravings.

One of the series in the South African Fauna and Flora works Raymond was commissioned to do.

Although his works largely portray various aspects of the human condition, he is perhaps best known for his com­missioned work dealing with the South African fauna and flora. He was also commissioned to do a large curtain mural depicting Transvaal plants and animals for the Nature Conservation Museum. This work is now housed in the Transvaal Provincial Administration Building in Pretoria. Eight of his woodcuts of South African landscapes were also ordered for a large international hotel in Johannesburg.

Raymond is also responsible for the graphic works in the Holiday Inns in Gaborone, Maseru, New Castle and Hluhluwe.

Many of his works have been bought by collectors from all over the world and many of them grace the walls of our Embassies in Europe and America. At the age of 21 he exhibited amongst others, an Elephant tusk from the Okavango, in Puerto Rico. The 22,5 kg tusk took a month to engrave with the delicate jewel cutting instruments fetched the princely sum of R3000, at the show. Because of this success he was commissioned to carve a further four tusks for other safari clients in Puerto Rice and the USA.

Many of Raymond’s woodcuts were carved whilst sitting on the banks of the Limpopo. His other favourite stomping grounds we were told include Saldanha Bay, the Karoo, the Western Boundary of the Kruger Park, private Reserves and the old gold mining areas of the Eastern Transvaal.

Art has always been important to Raymond and whilst gathering material he would paddle a canoe down remote jungle rivers and often take guided photographic and game viewing safaris through dense bush.

Raymond and wife Elizabeth discussing the final details of several works
before he has to dash off on a flight to some centre in the Domestic Network

Some of these episodes are rather hair raising and Raymond tells of the time when he took a safari group across the Okavango Swamps by canoe. With only six people in the group, . they attempted this hazardous venture which lasted almost 2 weeks. Without the usual comforts of our highways and traffic signposts they got lost and were subjected to the perils reminiscent of an early Thomas Cook expedition.

Food ran out and they were forced to eat what they could find. Ullaterlily roots, papyrus stalks and such like made out the bulk of their diet. Stalking a lioness once to take away its kill presented quite a challenge to the group. Unarmed, with the lioness cubs lying 12 feet away, this could not have been the most pleasant task. They made off with the kill in the end and arrived at their destination with third degree sunburn. This was the first crossing of the Okavango Swamps known to the Botswana officials, who met them on the other side.

As Raymond’s art has forced him into a rather secluded life he has decided to join the national airline in the hope of getting to meet people, and what better way is there to do it other than being a flight steward with a dinamic airline.

On behalf of South African Airways we welcome Raymond into our world and wish him every success with all future exhibitions.

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NOODLENIGING VIR GUATEMALA

Die Suid-Amerikaanse staat Guatemala wat deur ‘n aardbe­wing verwoes is, het onlangs 2 000 kilogram mediese voorrade en uitrusting as geskenk van die Republiek van Suid-Afrika ontvang. Die voorrade is gratis deur die Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens na New York vervoer, vanwaar dit verder na Guate­mala op die Suid-Afrikaanse Regering se onkoste verskeep is.

Ons foto toon deel van die besending van R30 000 waar dit op vragpalette by die SAL se vrageindpunt op Jan Smutslug­hawe geplaas word voordat dit op die vliegtuig na New York gelaai is.

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DIE MOEILIKE KUNS OM TYD TE BESPAAR

Terwyl ons deur die Januarie 1976-uitgawe van die American Executive’s Digest geblaai het, het ons die volgende lighartige artikel oor tydbesparing gevind. Alhoewel ons nie verwag dat ons lesers dit te noukeurig moet navolg nie, voel ons’ tog dat sekere stellings genoem moet word.

Die artikel lees soos volg:­

„Tyd kan nie bespaar Word nie, volgens ‘n kenner wat ‘n seminaar hou oor die onderwerp, dit kan net bestuur word. Byvoorbeeld: Vergaderings: Moenie gaan tensy u moet nie en moenie langêr bly as wat u moet nie. Telefoonoproepe: Moenie aanhou nie, skakel terug. Moenie oor koeitjies en kalfies gesels nie. Versamel oproepe en hanteer hulle in groepe soos mens met briewe maak. Briewe: Moenie die moeite doen om briewe te proeflees nie, moenie oor ingeskryfde korreksies bekommer nie. Papier: Wanneer u ‘n stuk papier optel, doen iets daarmee. Moenie daarmee speel nie. Gooi dit weg, liasseer dit, gee dit vir iemand anders. Sekretaresses: Lei hulle op om u briewe te beantwoord. As u moet dikteer, hou dit kort. Delegering: Delegeer op sowel as ondertoe. Heel dikwels, is u werkgewer die regte persoon om ‘n gegewe taak te verrig.

Die sleutel tot die beheer van tyd is, volgens, die kenner, om te besluit hoeveel tyd ‘n taak vereis en om die taak dan in die gegewe tyd af te handel.”

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‘N BURGEMEESTER IN ONS GELEDERE!

Die SAL was op 1 Maart besonder trots toe mnr. Hennie Coetzer se ampsgewaad en ketting om hom gehang is en hy aangewys is as burgemeester van Alberton vir die ampsjaar 1976/77. Vir mnr. CoetzQr is dit die bekroning van sy ywerige toewyding in diens van die gemeenskap van Alberton.

Mnr. Coetzer is reeds nege jaar gelede verkies tot raadslid vir Alberton en was vier jaar lank ondervoorsitter van die bestuurs­komitee en een jaar lank voorsitter. Gedurende 1975 was hy die dorp se onderburgemeester. Nog voordat by tot raadslid verkies is, was hy voorsitter van die Belastingbetalersvereniging. Mnr. Coetzer is sedert 1961 in diens van die Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens en bêklee die posisie van Tegniese Assistent in die afdeling ingenieurswese. In hierdie pos bcheer hy alle korresporadensie wat verband hou met die modifikasics van al die SAL se vliegtuie.

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DIE MANNE AGTER DIE AFLEWERINGSVLUG

Drie van die SAL se ervarenste en mees senior kapteins het die vlieënierspligte op verlede maand se afleweringsvlug van die Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens se Boeing 747SP met mekaar gedeel. Hulle was (van links na regs), kaptein A.S. Britton (hoofoplei­dingskaptein), kaptein L.G. van Renen (direkteur, vliegbëdryf) en kaptain W.F. Steytler, (hoofvlieënier, buitelandse dienste).

Die SAL se eerste twee SP’s word aan die begin van volgende maand in diens geplaas wanneer hulle op die roete Johannes­burg-Athene gebruik word. In Augustus sal hierdie vliegtuie op die diens tussen Johannesburg en New York oor Ilha do Sal in gebruik geneem word en dan sal passasiers vir die eerste maal, al die voordele van wyerompstralervervoer oor hierdie roete ervaar.

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A300 FLIGHT SIMULATOR

Redifon Flight Simulation are supplying ‘the A300B2K Airbus flight simulator for SAA. The new simulator will have a six-deb -degree-of-freedom motion system plus the NOVOVIEW 6000 computer generated image visual system.

Another interesting feature of the system, is an advanced computer complex which will carry out on-line data proces­sing, not only for the new A300B-simulator, but also the existing Boeing 707 and Boeing 737 simulators.

Instructional facilities are of very advanced design and include a colour Cathode Ray Tube system, and exercise recording and replay facilities.

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NUWE VLIEGTUIGNAME

Die vier nuwe Airbus A300 B2K-vliegtuie wat deur die Suid-Afrikaanse Lugdiens bestel is vir af[ewering gedurende die laaste kwartaal van die jaar, sal die name dra wat voorheen op ons Viscountvloot te sien was.

Die sewe Viscounts wat die redery van 1958 af gedien het, is in 1972 vervang en aan die Britse karweier Midland Airways Charter-maatskapp verkoop.
Die name wat vir die Airbusvliegtuie gekies is, is Blesbok, Gemsbok; Waterbok-en Rooibolk.­

Die name vir die ses Boeing 747SP vlzegtuie is ook op besluit en hulle is die Matroosberg, Outeniqua, Maluti, Majuba, Hantam en Soutpansberg, wat ‘n voortbouing op die bergreeksname van­ die ander vyf Boeing 747-vliegtuie in ons vloot is.

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