Jato Still Used These Days?

rg828 · Tue Jan 25, 2005 5:45 am

Just saw a video of a Blue Angel's C-130 JATO-assisted takeoff, and was wondering if Jet-assisted or rocket-assisted takeoffs are still commonplace in the military these days.

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Photo © Dan Pianelli

Does the USAF or any other Air Force still use them, or has it become a just a a crowd-pleasing attraction?

BTW, the only time I got to see the 'Angels in SFO during fleetweek, Fat Albert did a steep climb, but without JATO Crying

Pronto · Tue Jan 25, 2005 9:03 am

I believe the Hercs used in the Arctic and Antarctic(NY ANG, no?) still use them

jetjack74 · Tue Jan 25, 2005 9:14 am

They used any where that maybe below runway length reqiurements for a standard take-off roll. The Fat Albert is just for demo, but they are still used. I used to be in a Navy C130 unit, and we used to practice JATO for Functional Check-Flights(FCF), and when pilots were preparing to go in theater for overseas Dets. The Air Force used them in Afganistan and Iraq these during the latest conflicts. I saw them leaving Kuwait heading to drop off supplies with the JATO bottles attached.

rg828 · Tue Jan 25, 2005 10:16 am

Thanks for your answers.

With all the coverage the military gets these days you would think they would show something with visual impact, like a max-rated JATO takeoff.

Nice thing for the cameras!

What other aircraft are JATO-capable? C-160s, C-130Js?

[Edited 2005-01-25 02:19:07]

dan2002 · Tue Jan 25, 2005 11:23 am

I believe some 727s were made JATO equipped, for take off's off of short runways.

-Dan

2H4 · Tue Jan 25, 2005 11:32 am

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Photo © Richard Carvill

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Photo © Andy Martin - AirTeamImages

I remember reading that one version of the Trislander had a provision for RATO (Rocket Assisted Take-Off) in the event of an engine failure during takeoff.

Try as I might, I've never been able to find a photo of the RATO unit, much less one in use. 50 points to anyone who can find one and post it here.

2H4

STT757 · Thu Jan 27, 2005 9:36 am

Here's some great video clips from the June 2001 Air show at Lakehurst Naval Air Enginering Station here in New Jersey, I was at this show and the JATO Fat Albert takeoff was a big crowd pleaser.

Also if you want an idea of what it's like to fly into Iraq on a C-130 check out the video of Fat Albert's Landing.

Lakehurst's two main runways are 5,000ft long, they also have a 10,000ft test runway which is where the Blue Angels F-18s were operating from during the show. Lakehurst's test runway is about 3 miles from Max field where the show took place. After they landed they drove over to Max Field to greet the crowds.

http://www.stevesairshow.com/lakehurst01-videos.html

FBU 4EVER! · Fri Jan 28, 2005 6:17 am

The Royal Norwegian Air Force is operational on JATO and C-130's.The Northrop F-5's were also able to use the JATO,as well.

keesje · Fri Jan 28, 2005 7:42 pm

Another Herc JATO

http://www.janes.com/aerospace/military/gallery/miramar2002/video/v0535422.mpg

SlamClick · Sat Jan 29, 2005 1:19 am

Dan2002: "I believe some 727s were made JATO equipped, for take off's off of short runways."

I don't know about any 727s but I have seen Overseas National Airlines DC-9-33F with JATO.

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Photo © Steve Williams

I can't tell whether this tail number had it or not. They were mounted in the wing fillet fairing. Four or six bottles, I don't remember. They had a shelf-life and were fired on a normal takeoff when they expired. A good friend of mine has been the copilot on such a firing.

The scariest JATO installation I've ever seen was on a taildragger twin Beech which had one in the back end of each nacelle. Imagine if only one fired! You'd be in for one wild ride, especially if it was on the "good" engine side.

A couple of years ago "Fat Albert" performing at the Reno Air Races, had a bottle fire off, then detach from the airplane. Luckily it was on the non-specator side and only started a brushfire.

SATL382G · Sat Jan 29, 2005 2:07 am

Swearingen Metro had the rato option as well. Here's a Metro for sale with that option: http://www.skyquestinternational.com/MetroIITC258.asp

Another 130 lost a bottle in the Antartic (Arctic? I forget which pole it was). Came loose and took out a wing.

regards

edit: added site

[Edited 2005-01-28 18:12:36]

2H4 · Sat Jan 29, 2005 2:31 am

The scariest JATO installation I've ever seen was on a taildragger twin Beech which had one in the back end of each nacelle.

That was registered as "experimental", right? Surely there wasn't an STC for such an installation...

2H4

jetjack74 · Sat Jan 29, 2005 3:54 am

I don't know about any 727s but I have seen Overseas National Airlines DC-9-33F with JATO.
That's a 32F

SlamClick · Sat Jan 29, 2005 5:35 am

I don't know 2H4 we just walked past it on the ramp at Imperial County Airport (IPL) in southern California in about 1979. Don't know anything more about it than that. We stopped to look at the foil-covered nozzles on the upper side where the nacelle fairs into the wing and had a conversation about it.

Jetjack74 right you are! My mistake. I had been looking at this picture:

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Photo © Bob Garrard

. . . when I typed that. Have not bothered to verify the sub-type on this one.

edit: Two of my friends who flew for ONA had large framed pictures of a DC-9 making a rocket assisted takeoff. It was really impressive! The picture really belongs in this database and I wish the photographer could come forward with it.

[Edited 2005-01-28 21:37:25]

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