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Aviation History
1965
1965 - 0153.PDF
T FLIGHT Internationa/, 89 21 January 1965 "It is frequently said within Delta that the key to success rests on intelligent management by executives who know flying and maintenance and insist on the best service possible ..." DIXIE'S DELTA DELTA AIR LINES, one of the leaders in size among America's second-division domestic trunk route carriers, has traditionally been one of the first with new aircraft and ideas. The big expansion from a position as a mid-west north-south carrier began in 1961 with the CAB award of transcontinental routes. With headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, Delta routes now connect most points in the mid-west and extend to New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The carrier also operates internationally—to Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Jamaica. Even before its period of major growth, Delta was the first airline to put DC-8s and Convair 880s into service. In 1963 the airline was again the first to order the new Douglas DC-9 short- hauler to replace a large fleet of Convair 440s. Pioneering for Delta has not been fruitless. In 1963, a difficult year for most carriers, Delta earned nearly $14m on revenues of $200m. Sixty- two consecutive cash dividends have been paid on stock, plus a two for one split last year. The key to success? It is frequently said within the airline that the answer rests on intelligent management by executives who know flying and maintenance and insist on the best service possible. In line with this progressive thinking is Delta's approach to the problem of maintenance. A maintenance system which permits major overhauls of aircraft on a two-shift, five-day-per-week basis is the way Delta ensures the smooth operation of its 28-aircraft jet fleet. Working on the block maintenance principle the system has operated now for seven years and developed through the change from piston to jet-powered aircraft. The big event in any transport aircraft's life is the major overhaul. On a DC-8 or Convair 880 this is due every 16,000hr. At Delta they divide the work into eight parts. The aircraft therefore comes into the hangar every 2,000hr for a general check-over, but, in particular, for a major investigation into a particular area of structure or group of systems. In this way no aircraft is ever on maintenance for more than five days at a time. Years ago, under the old system, 20-30 days was not an unusually long period for a major overhaul. A few specific advantages Delta gains by the staggered main- tenance system are these: Full-scale work in the maintenance base need only be on five days per week so that all but a few engineers have a full two-day weekend; night working is also unnecessary. Workload is much more evenly spread and peak busy and slack periods are avoided. A maximum number of aircraft is available for heavy weekend traffic. The effect of unexpected malfunctions, requiring two or three days in the hangar, are less critical to the scheduling pattern; evening and weekend overtime work is an additional buffer for coping with emergencies. Lastly—but important to a progressive airline—the system permits a more thorough running watch on aircraft performance' and operating standards. Maintenance-base work is analysed each week from information sorted and processed by computers. The results of this work are primarily used for tracing the cause of delays. Though workshop engineers are traditionally suspicious of time and motion studies of this sort, Delta mechanics have accepted the study as a necessary process in the overall maintenance programme. Delta mechanics are the only group in the trunk-line industry not to be organized by a union. The Delta management attribute their good engineer relations to five-day-per-week working and no night shifts. '• •. In line with this progressive thinking Is Delta's approach to the problems of maintaining a 28-jet fleet in a five-day working week," Delta has three main workshops; one at the head- quarters (seen in these pictures) teals with Convair 880s and DC-8s (above) as well as piston- engined types
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