SAS (Scandinavian) is a fascinating airline. Recently, I came across a few pictures of the SAS airplanes, rekindling my (long-held) interest in this airline. In particular, I was reminded of an aviation milestone that was set by SAS back in 1954 (significant but probably not so well-known outside of the Scandinavian countries, me being an outsider too...🙂...).  Also, while looking a bit into SAS (historical) Fleet, I noticed, there, Douglas DC (-4/-6/-7/-8/-9/-10) and MD (-80/-90), but no MD-11 (nor L-1011). Then, I happened to spot, right, here, in the local Avsim Library, repaints (fictional, of course) of a L-1011 (Tristar) in the colors of both SAS Pax and SAS Cargo. I've selected the SAS Cargo livery for this post...so, please excuse, here, this fictional (SAS) Tristar, since SAS never actually deployed any L-1011. Nonetheless, I hope, you'll agree with me that this (What If) SAS color looks good on the classic Lockheed Tristar...

It's worthy of note that SAS was the first airline to operate a (commercial) Polar flight-plan Route over the North Pole. The airline was established, in 1946, the year after the WAR had ended (SAS celebrated 75 years of flying, last year, in August 2021). Barely within weeks of founding, undaunted, and emboldened by its new, sturdy and reliable DC-4s (it must have been nice to be able to start off operations directly with a (4-engined) DC-4 rather than any other small a/c), dared to set its sights, first, on flying transatlantic. In August 1946, it launched its first route between Stockholm and New York via Copenhagen, Prestwick and Gander. The flight time was 25 hours and the route was called the SAS short-cut. The game-changer for such landplane based long-haul service (as opposed to seaplane based) was the Douglas DC-4 (please see my previous post). And just the year before (November 1945), two months after the end of the WAR, DC-4 had already started (the first ever) scheduled transatlantic service, with American Export Airlines. SAS, being a loyal (and long) customer of Douglas Aircraft Company and its successor McDonnell Douglas, got to readily acquire the DC-4, but could not be the first to cross the Atlantic, missing it by a year. 

SAS would make up for this, 8 years later, by being the first airline to commercially fly on a Polar Route over the North Pole (a most challenging task for the time), ahead of other major EU/US airlines (including the likes of Pan Am and TWA). It was the culmination of years of rigorous test flights and innovative navigational planning, but, the a/c, could not be DC-4...it lacked the required range. So, it had to be the DC-6...! On November 19, 1952, a DC-6B "experimental" flight, took off from Los Angeles, en route to Copenhagen (note the direction of travel...since US had not yet authorized Pole-routed flights into US). But the American regulatory authorities could not deny the privilege to SAS much longer. It took another year, but in 1954, SAS earned the right to fly to Los Angeles, over the Pole. On November 15, 1954, a "regular" pax flight SK931, a DC-6B dubbed “Helge Viking”, departed Kastrup airport in Copenhagen, and headed to Los Angeles. Meanwhile, at the same time, from Los Angeles (US West Coast), the serial flight, SK932, also a DC-6B christened “Leif Viking”, got ready to cross the Planet, over the top (see map below), going the opposite direction. Helge and Leif would meet over the North Pole, an endearing historic moment indeed...! Leif and Helge Viking had cut the flight time from 36 to 22 hours.

Please find, below, a set of symbolic pictures of a (simplified) Polar flight with my (fictional) SAS L-1011 Tristar, lifting off EKCH (Copenhagen), heading up north towards as close as I have ever (virtually) got to the North Pole (the LATLONG input, here, into the INS CDU is "89N070W", which is my INS WPT #5, just 1 degree less than perfect 90N). For visualization, see the topmost WPT, in the SIMBRIEF Map, I've included below. Please note my [VC] INS CDU shots (for the transition ([45] -> [56]) across my northernmost waypoint, and its LAT/LONG POS display), and also see the external shots when the a/c was exactly atop this point of my flight. Over the North Pole, I wished I could see the contrails from either Helge or Leif...🙂...but, of course, had no such luck. So, it was just me alone and my (CS) SAS Tristar...🙂...with its (trusted) INS guiding me across the barren, desolate, and daunting landscape of this frozen tundra that surrounded me on all sides... (e.g., see shots #12 thru #16) ...! [Side Note: The actual SAS aircraft had to be equipped with arctic survival kits including tents, survival foods, and "rifles" to shoot any polar bears with... (Oh well...none of those needed on my (virtual) flight here...) ...]

For prep, on the Copenhagen airport tarmac, I've performed a Cold & Dark startup of the 3 engines of the L-1011 Tristar, and for practice, I have manually entered the LAT/LONG WPTs into the INS CDU. My flight arrives on PANC (ILS Rwy 14), see landing shots...with Anchorage chosen, here, because of its well-known role as a (polar route) en route airport on the US West Coast, for refueling purpose and for connecting to other onward destinations on the West Coast, such as KLAX.

Hope you enjoy this collection of pictures of the Lockheed Tristar, in the endearing color of a pioneering airline, the SAS (Scandinavian)...!

Thanks for your interest and comments...! Good flying yourselves...!!

Another set great looking shots !

INS, L-1011 (Tristar) 👍

cheers 😉

A beautiful long journey...very nice set of shots! 😉 

Folks: Thanks much. Appreciated the kind comments...!!

Very interesting story and great pics, P_7878 !!

Thank you, bernd, for the feedback comments...!!

Super post !! .

On 6/3/2022 at 4:17 AM, pmplayer said:

INS, L-1011 (Tristar) 👍

Can't agree more!   Loved flying on the L1011!

 

@P_7878  Lovely set!   Glad you didn't have to break out the guns....killing a polar bear would be a terrible experience, as would any animal even if you had to protect yourself.  I'd try harsh language 1st. 🙂

On 6/5/2022 at 4:42 PM, johnbow72 said:

Super post !! .

Appreciated the kind comment, johnb...!

 

On 6/6/2022 at 4:48 PM, Steve Dra said:

Can't agree more!   Loved flying on the L1011!

 

@P_7878  Lovely set!   Glad you didn't have to break out the guns....killing a polar bear would be a terrible experience, as would any animal even if you had to protect yourself.  I'd try harsh language 1st. 🙂

 

Couldn't agree more....🙂...I now recall the Polite Bear and Funny Salmon commercial videos...from Alaska738's post..."Salmon Thirty Salmon"....

(BTW, Steve, glad, I believe, you're painting both 737(-700/-800) in the SAS colors...I like this airline...) ...

2 hours ago, P_7878 said:

(BTW, Steve, glad, I believe, you're painting both 737(-700/-800) in the SAS colors...I like this airline...) ...

I did SAS on the -600 and -800 for the iFly package, but did not paint the -700 for MSFS...there are already a few very good ones out there.  I do plan an MSFS 737-600 in SAS old colors though.  I'm sure I'll transfer the textures to the -800 when she arrives. 😉 

***Super*** Never knew SAS flew The Tri-Star***

21 hours ago, Steve Dra said:

I did SAS on the -600 and -800 for the iFly package, ....

Yes, Steve, today, I found your (iFly) -600 and -800 still perched right at the top of that F1 library...I initially thought maybe you had done those years ago...so I could have posted one or two here...whether you like or not...🙂...but it appears you did those two just this year...for P3dV5...look great as always... (btw, many other SAS 737 variant ones there are/were by another prolific master painter...you would surely know well...I might pick up and fly those ones...thanks for pointing me to those...)...

 

1 hour ago, Phantom88 said:

***Super*** Never knew SAS flew The Tri-Star***

Patrick, thanks and glad that you liked the pics.... unfortunately, you would have never seen this one around O'Hare...SAS never actually flew the Tristar....🙂...(this is a fictional repaint I ran into in the local Avsim Library....)...