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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 1086.PDF
677FLIGHT BJuru 1951 fc- Pratt and Whitney engines in an advanced stage of re-assembly. Special protective clothing is worn by workers re-sealing fuel tanks. IN THE WAY OF THE VIKINGS . . . possible has given a light and airy appearance suggestive of someof the pavilions at Britain's South Bank Exhibition. Working conditions for personnel are ideal. A most remarkable feature of the workshops at Kastrup is theirextreme neatness. In a two-hour tour it was hard to detect a single item of equipment which was not exactly in place, while even inthe engine dismantling shop one literally had to search hard to find any son of dirt. I have seen many aircraft repair and servicingorganizations, but quite definitely none which caused such an outstanding impression of efficiency as did this one. Work at Kastrup consists mainly of S.A.S. DC-4 overhauls andline maintenance, although overhaul work for other operators is also being undertaken. Application has been made for C.A.A.approval, and other operators of Douglas aircraft will be able to save themselves a considerable amount of dollars by using D.D.L.'soverhaul facilities. Several DC-4S were going through the shops on 8,000-hr overhauls during which, in addition to routineinspection, fuel tanks were being taken out and re-sealed. The process involves spraying their interiors with a caustic solvent andthen flushing them with a high-pressure water jet. A sealing compound is later applied by hand. This feature alone can leadto substantial economies for European operators, as, previously, tank sealing was only carried out in the Douglas factory. The S.A.S. aircraft docks are also worthy of special mention.Built in Scandinavia, they are arranged to give "walk-round" access to any point of the aircraft. Located at the nose of themachine is a fully-equipped office fitted with a "chatterbox" telephone link to work-stations in the dock so that the overseer isin constant communication with his foremen. Although the S.A.S. DC-4S were originally fitted out to accom-modate 40 passengers, cabins are being elongated, during 8,000-hr inspections, to make room for 44. The engine overhaul shops areto be found at the rear of the workshops, together with installa- tions for overhaul and testing of all hydraulic system accessories.After dismantling, engine parts are placed on trays and removed to the cleaning department, before coming under the wary eyes ofthe inspectors. Overhaul, repair, re-assembly and engine testing follow in natural sequence and at the end of the line emergepower units whose condition and finish are quite indistinguishable from new. There are also fully equipped and air-conditioned instrumentand radio shops with bench installations for testing radio, com- passes, and I.L.S. and other aids. Kastrup also maintains its ownaircraft engineers' school, which ensures an adequate flow of skilled labour. The airfield itself could hardly be better located from theoperational viewpoint. The approaches are unobstructed and Kastrup is nearly always "open." Put into service in 1925, it didnot reach its present proportions until 1946; expansion involved the reclamation of 15 acres of land from the sea by buildinga 930 yd dam in the Sound and filling in the enclosed area with sand. Traffic at Kastrup is increasing rapidly and I understandthat plans are being considered to extend the runway pattern to provide for two take-offs and one landing simultaneously in thedirection of the prevailing wind. At a midday smorrebrod session (the Danes normally partakeof these interesting sandwich concoctions at lunch-time) I met the general manager of the Norwegian Region, Mr. Kalm, and severalvisiting directors. Touching lightly on the subject of re-equipment, one gathered that S.A.S. is firmly attached to the Douglas strainof transports, having had exceptionally good service from them since the beginning of the last war. There is a certain amount ofinterest in the Avon-powered Comet, but no other British type now in existence, with one possible exception, seems to awake anymore than academic enthusiasm. DC-6Bs have recently been ordered and, for heavy transports at least, S.A.S. will probablystick to Douglas for some time to come. Medium-stage operations apparently pose more of a problem, as the Scandia, although in The laboratory-like instrumtnt-repair shop at Kastrup is air-conditioned. itself a fine little aircraft, is not really large enough to be economi-cal. The preponderant factor in reaching the eventual decision as to what shall replace DC-3S may well be influenced by the factthat S.A.S. has already laid down a very well-equipped Pratt and Whitney overhaul organization. Before leaving Kastrup on the next part of my tour I was ableto participate in the despatching of a DC-6 on S.A.S.'s longest route, from Stockholm to Tokyo; the occasion was well be-flaggedand celebrated in fitting style. The Copenhagen- Stockholm leg of my tour was made at nightin a DC-6, an aircraft very much to my liking. With its two cabins, it is exceptionally roomy, and the enlarged cabin-windowsare a great improvement on those of the DC-4. In the rear seats and the toilet, however, the "tailwagging" tendency becomesrather unpleasant in turbulent weather. The night arrival at Bromma was an interesting experience, forin the clear Scandinavian air the myriad sparkling lights of Stock- holm provide a fascinating panorama. At die airport next day I visited the new headquarters buildingfrom which the entire operations of S.A.S. are now to be con- trolled. The administrative structure looks well-balanced andeconomical in operation. Under the president, Per A. Norlin, there are two executive vice-presidents, at present Per M. Backeand Vigor Rasmussen, who control respectively six vice- The three maintenance hangars at Bromma, framed beneath a DC-6.
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