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Aviation History
1952
1952 - 3348.PDF
Torki! Viking, one of 14 Douglas DC-66s being commissioned by S.AS. Two of these aircraft are being delivered this month over the Polar route. THREE-NATION AIRLINE THE Scandinavian Airlines System, in its present form, came into being in 1951. It comprises D.D.L. (Danish), D.N.L. (Norwegian) and A.B.A. (Swedish Airlines), the three components working together as one organization. S.A.S. operates Danish-, Norwegian- and Swedish- registered aircraft, but it is not unusual for a passenger to fly on, say, a Swedish domestic route with a Swedish crew but in a Norwegian-registered aircraft. The work of S.A.S. is extremely varied, ranging from the operation of the "Royal Viking" DC-6B flights between Scandinavia and the U.S.A. and the DC-6 services to South America, East Africa and Japan, to such extremes as the Norwegian coastal route which reaches far into the Arctic on the Norwegian-Soviet frontier and which can only be operated during the summer months. Until last year, the Norwegian coastal route was operated with Short Sandringhams as far north as Tromso, with Ju 523111 floatplanes on the northern sector. With the Copenhagen Airport at Kastrup. The three main hangars and workshops in the foreground are built mainly on reclaimed land. The passenger buildings are in the middle distance. reintroduction of the service this year Saab Scandias took over the route as far as Bodo, north of the Arctic Circle, and the Junkers came south to make connection. The Scandias also took over the operation of another Northern route when, on October 27th this year, they began working the Stockholm-Lulea service. Lulea is about 60 miles south of the Circle, but it was already under snow when the writer flew-in on one of the first Scandia services. Timekeeping under difficult conditions was perfect. Passen gers board and disembark in the hangar during the winter and, on departure, the full run-up and pre-flight check are made in the hangar. S.A.S. has, not unnaturally, a deep interest in the north, and a Polar route is planned for operation in 1953. This route will link Scandinavia, the U.S.A. and the Far East by way of Thule in Greenland. Two of the airline's new DC-6Bs are being delivered over this route this month on their way from California to Copenhagen. Further S.A.S. interest in the north is likely to lead to some helicopter experiments with a Westland-Sikorsky S-55 in North Norway. The smartly painted and attractively furnished S.A.S. fleet is maintained at the airline's three main bases at Kastrup, Copenhagen; Fornebu, Oslo; and Bromma, Stockholm. Of these bases, Kastrup is perhaps the most interesting as the three great hangars have been built mostly on land reclaimed from the sea specially for this purpose. With their fluorescent lighting, and the name "Scandinavian Airlines System" in red neon, they are an impressive sight when seen on a night approach by air. S.A.S. is a good example of three nations working together in order to give first-class public service in the most efficient and friendly manner. Although English is the officiiil lan guage of S.A.S., we were told recently that conversation at the Stockholm H.Q. is frequently conducted in "Sasperanto" —a blend of the three Scandinavian tongues. By suppressing national differences in the interests of a common purpose, employees of this unique airline have achieved well-merited success. J.S.
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