727datacenter From Brazil, joined Jul 2001, 11 posts, RR: 0 Posted (10 years 10 months 3 weeks 1 day 6 hours ago) and read 1548 times:
Hi,
I´m not a pilot (actually, I´m a lawyer) but I run a website devoted to the Boeing 727 (Called 727 Datacenter - http://www.boeing727.cjb.net) and I´m looking for informations and pics from those 727s with rockets, that fly with Mexicana in the 70s. Anyone have anything about this operations to help me? Thanks and regards from Brazil to all of you!
Kellmark From United States of America, joined Dec 2000, 642 posts, RR: 9 Reply 1, posted (10 years 10 months 3 weeks 1 day 4 hours ago) and read 1454 times:
As I remember, they were used in the event of the need for high gross weights out of Mexico City. Mexico is a high altitude airport. I used to work weight and balance on them in Miami. I believe they gave a credit for second segment climb weight which is based on the aircraft's ability to climb to 400 feet with an engine out. So they should normally have been used only in the event of an engine failure, but they allowed a higher gross weight because they were available in the event of an engine failure. At least that is how I remember it.
Jetguy From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 2, posted (10 years 10 months 3 weeks 21 hours ago) and read 1416 times:
Adding JATO bottles to aircraft was at one time a (more or less) common occurance. The first models of the Metroliner had a rocket bottle in the tailcone that was fired by the crew in the event of an engine failure after takeoff and prior to the raising of the landing gear. The airplane wouldn't maintain altitude on one engine if the gear was down and rocket supposedly gave the crew enough time to get the gear retracted. I can also remember seeing rocket bottles in the engine nacelles of a few H18 Twin Beeches. The Blue Angel's C130 also fires them on occasion at airshows. What a show, that sucker will almost go verticle! Yee Haw!
Jet-A gasguy From United States of America, joined Dec 2000, 266 posts, RR: 2 Reply 3, posted (10 years 10 months 3 weeks 20 hours ago) and read 1407 times:
Hey,
What happened to my earlier reply? The one I posted with the pic of the Blue Angels Fat Albert doing a RATO? Why was it deleted? Anybody know?
Find a job you love, and you'll never work a day in your life.
Jet-A gasguy From United States of America, joined Dec 2000, 266 posts, RR: 2 Reply 4, posted (10 years 10 months 3 weeks 20 hours ago) and read 1401 times:
Okay....I see what happened now. You made two posts of the same topic in both Civil and Tech forums. I originally replied to the one in the Civil forum. Very sneaky. Anyway, here's the pic of the Blue Angels Fat Albert in the old color scheme doing a RATO.
Mac From United States of America, joined May 2001, 293 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (10 years 10 months 3 weeks 10 hours ago) and read 1376 times:
my comment was deleted too. However, I had an hunch he was thinking of JATO/RATO. But still, I had no idea that even that system was used on commercial aircraft.
727datacenter From Brazil, joined Jul 2001, 11 posts, RR: 0 Reply 6, posted (10 years 10 months 3 weeks 9 hours ago) and read 1369 times:
Hi Mac and Jet-A gasguy,
Thanks for your help... I did two posts in the civil and tech foruns to make sure that I´ll find an answer and because the question is related in this two foruns, in my oppinion. Thanks anyway and sorry for my poor english. As soon I find anything, I´ll let you know!
Soku39 From United States of America, joined Nov 2000, 1797 posts, RR: 12 Reply 7, posted (10 years 10 months 3 weeks 8 hours ago) and read 1372 times:
I was at my local airshow two years ago and the crew fired the rockets. One second it was there and then it was gone. I think I have yet to see a Herc accelerate faster! Anyway they prabably don't use them anymore because they could just simply explode, and all these new noise restrictions at airports.
JETPILOT From United States of America, joined May 1999, 3128 posts, RR: 37 Reply 8, posted (10 years 10 months 3 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 1362 times:
A few years ago there once lived a moron who thought it would be a good idea to take his car out to the desert and attatch a stolen Military RATO bottle to it and see how fast he could get his car to go...
Well the story goes the car accelerated so fast the guy melted the brakes off the car trying to slow it down before he drove it six feet into an embankment. They estimate the car was going somewhere in the neighborhood of 450-500 miles per hour when it beer canned into terra firma.
Sometimes fact IS stranger than fiction. If I'm not mistaken I think there is a video of it floating around of this event that his friend had taken.
Mac From United States of America, joined May 2001, 293 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (10 years 10 months 3 weeks 2 hours ago) and read 1339 times:
During the period when Jato/Rato was being developed, the unit was attached to an early model Consolidated PBY 'Catalina' flying boat. Fortunately, I have film footage of that first test. The PBY was an excellent patrol bomber for its time but was notoriously slow and at times appeared to be just a bit on the clumsy side. However, when the Rato unit activated, the old patrol bomber literally jumped from the water and into the sky. clawing for altitude like a home sick angel. I think the old girl probably broke a number of speed records for its class that fine day.
Rkmcswain From United States of America, joined Dec 2000, 222 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (10 years 10 months 2 weeks 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 1302 times:
Sorry JETPILOT,
The story you describe is an urban legend
Mac From United States of America, joined May 2001, 293 posts, RR: 0 Reply 12, posted (10 years 10 months 2 weeks 5 days 14 hours ago) and read 1276 times:
Ah yes, the Darwin Award. Know it well.
I'll not take time here to go into details...but the award
was given to that young man most of us know so well.
You know, the lad who attached his lawn chair to a couple of very large clusters of helium balloons and rose to an astonishing altitude...crossing vertically, final approach to LAX.
The above is in fact, a very true story. I was amazed to see the story including video shots of the event, on television last night. Even the conversations between the young man and his grounded wife, were recorded
off the two way radio signal.
JETPILOT From United States of America, joined May 1999, 3128 posts, RR: 37 Reply 14, posted (10 years 10 months 2 weeks 5 days 11 hours ago) and read 1259 times:
DAMN....I thoroughly enjoyed that RATO story and the Impala.
Sponsor Message: 
From Brazil, joined Jul 2001, 11 posts, 
From United States of America, joined Dec 2000, 642 posts, 
From , joined Dec 1969, posts, 
From , joined Dec 1969, posts, 
Sponsor Message: 
Printer friendly format
