Airbus A300

Breaking with tradition SAA turned to Europe for their next airliner. The A300 is a wide-body twin-engined jetliner produced by a consortium of European aircraft manufacturers. SAA used the type flying domestically (to the larger centres) and regionally from 1976. The Airbus A300 gave SAA 25 years of excellent service. A total of nine aircraft served SAA.

Normal passenger load: up to 263

A300 B2K-3C ZS-SDA to SDD

A300 B4-203 ZS-SDE to SDF

A300 C4-203 ZS-SDG This was a Combi variant with mixed freight/passenger capability. The aircraft was later converted to all-cargo configuration by SAA

A300 B4-203 ZS-SDH to SDI 

Modelling

The following kits have been produced over the years that will allow the modeller to build a model of this aircraft.

Airfix 1/144^th scale, kit number AX06179.

Skyline 1/144^th scale

Colours

Scheme one

The Flying Springbok now appears in the hook of the Swoosh. The dark blue cheat line now sweeps down over the nose and curves back to meet under the fuselage with a white band and orange pin stripe below the cheat line. There are no dark blue pin stripes to the cheat line.  The white band also sweeps down the nose. A flying Springbok replaces the national flag that appeared in front of the aircraft name and they style of the airlines name changes and is moved to a more forward position on the fuselage.  

Scheme two

The new colours introduced in 1981 consisted of an overall orange tail without the Swoosh on it but has a large outlined Flying Springbok on it. The cheat lines are simplified and now no longer sweep down the nose. On the A320 the blue cheat line was below the fuselage windows and swept round the nose. The blue cheat line has a white pin stripe below which is a orange stripe of the same width as the white stripe. This orange (and white) stripe was wider than in previous scheme.  SAA/SAL logos carried on forward upper fuselage and SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS/SUID-AFRIKAANSE LUGDIENS carried on upper central fuselage.

Scheme three

After 1997 they were repainted in the current SAA colour scheme of plain white fuselage, new national colours on tail fin and SOUTH AFRICAN titles on both sides of the fuselage. Aircraft type was carried on rear fuselage just forward of rear door and registration preceded the national flag level with the bottom of the rear door.

Special Scheme

The love plane.

Decals

At the time of writing no dedicated decals for a SAA A300-200 have been produced. It should be possible to adapt the A340-600 ones to your model.