mmm@cup.portal.com (08/14/89)
From: mmm@cup.portal.com In AIR POWER: KEY TO SURVIVAL by Alexanader de Seversky, there's a picture of a B-47 taking off with JATO boosters (small jets strapped to the plane for extra power, which drop off after take-off, although these boosters look more like RATO, which are rockets). I'm wondering whether RATO or JATO was purely experimental, or whether it was ever a deployed system? Are any RATO or JATO system currently in use or under experimentation?
rbeville@tekig5.pen.tek.com (Bob Beville) (08/16/89)
From: rbeville@tekig5.pen.tek.com (Bob Beville) My high school gung-ho collection of airplane photos shows B-47 takeoffs with JATO from what is clearly installations in the fuselage... not ejectable bottles. (tail no. 91909) looks to be about 9 ports of them (tail no 6065) Another takeoff view ( negative # 654-619 Aerojet-General Corp. photo ) shows the JATO blast coming from behind a hinged door that appears to be able to close flush with the curvature of the fuselage... Another photo ( negatiuve 252-995 Aerojet General Corp. photo) (tail no. 33NB) shows a twin prop Navy plane with 4 external JATO bottles per side. Aerojet-General neg no. 5269 shows a Navy CONSTITUTION with JATO takeoff, not discernible about ejectable or permanent installation in plane. Wing obscures the sources but cloud streams are trailing off above the wing near the fuselage.... What a lot of no-help I've been, huh? that's -OWARI- from GLOWWORM-7-9-4 best regards, rbeville@tekig5.PEN.TEK.COM Bob Beville, Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton, OR 97077
bash@cbnewsd.ATT.COM (Thomas W. Basham) (08/16/89)
From: bash@cbnewsd.ATT.COM (Thomas W. Basham) [When quoting someone please include their name and address! Thanks. --CDR] >I'm wondering whether RATO or JATO was purely experimental, or whether it >was ever a deployed system? Are any RATO or JATO system currently in use >or under experimentation? I don't know much about this, however, I have seen pictures of an Etentard (spelled?) taking of with a RATO system. That's the only place I've ever seen such a contraption. I can't remebmer where I saw this, if anyone cares I'll look it up. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Tom Basham AT&T Bell Laboratories (312) 979-6336 att!ihlpb!bash bash@ihlpb.ATT.COM If you can't beat 'em, infiltrate and destroy them from within.
leem@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV (Lee Mellinger) (08/16/89)
From: leem@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV (Lee Mellinger) In article <26745@amdcad.AMD.COM> mmm@cup.portal.com writes: :In AIR POWER: KEY TO SURVIVAL by Alexanader de Seversky, there's a picture :of a B-47 taking off with JATO boosters (small jets strapped to the plane :for extra power, which drop off after take-off, although these boosters :look more like RATO, which are rockets). : :I'm wondering whether RATO or JATO was purely experimental, or whether it :was ever a deployed system? Are any RATO or JATO system currently in use :or under experimentation? JATO and RATO are one and the same thing, small solid propellant rockets that can be strapped to aircraft to shorten the takeoff roll or allow a grater takeoff weight. They were originally developed by JPL for the US Army Air Corps during WWII. Small jet engines were never used only rockets. JATO was and is still some times used by the military. B-47's routinely used them and, I believe, they are still used on C-130's in Antarctica. Lee "I'm the NRA" "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin 1759 |Lee F. Mellinger Caltech/Jet Propulsion Laboratory - NASA |4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 818/393-0516 FTS 977-0516 |{ames!cit-vax,}!elroy!jpl-devvax!leem leem@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV
brent@capmkt.com (Brent Chapman) (08/17/89)
From: brent@capmkt.com (Brent Chapman)
mmm@cup.portal.com writes:
# In AIR POWER: KEY TO SURVIVAL by Alexanader de Seversky, there's a picture
# of a B-47 taking off with JATO boosters (small jets strapped to the plane
# for extra power, which drop off after take-off, although these boosters
# look more like RATO, which are rockets).
#
# I'm wondering whether RATO or JATO was purely experimental, or whether it
# was ever a deployed system? Are any RATO or JATO system currently in use
# or under experimentation?
_THE_ most impressive demonstration flight at the July 4 Moffett Air Show
this year, as far as I'm concerned, was the JATO takeoff by the C-130 that
accompanies the Blue Angels (nicknamed "Fat Albert"). The plane comes
lumbering down the runway, rotates for takeoff, and then suddenly jumps
skyward at a truly incredible angle and rate as the crew lights the JATO
bottles... An incredible amount of flames, smoke, and NOISE for about 5 or
10 seconds until the bottles burn out (or are turned off; not sure which,
but I suspect the former) and the plane continues normally.
Maybe it's just that I've seen the fighter demonstrations so many times that
they get a sort of "so what?" reaction from me any more, but I thought this
demo was really something...
-Brent
--
Brent Chapman Capital Market Technology, Inc.
Computer Operations Manager 1995 University Ave., Suite 390
brent@capmkt.com Berkeley, CA 94704
{apple,lll-tis,uunet}!capmkt!brent Phone: 415/540-6400wyle@lavi.inf.ethz.ch (Mitchell Wyle) (08/18/89)
From: wyle@lavi.inf.ethz.ch (Mitchell Wyle) >From: mmm@cup.portal.com >I'm wondering whether RATO or JATO was purely experimental, or whether it >was ever a deployed system? Are any RATO or JATO system currently in use >or under experimentation? Swiss Mirage interceptors use RATO every time they take off (daily). -Mitchell F. Wyle Institut fuer Informationssysteme wyle@inf.ethz.ch ETH Zentrum / 8092 Zurich, Switzerland +41 1 256 5237
rls@crdgw1.crd.ge.com (08/18/89)
From: rls@crdgw1.crd.ge.com The local Air National Guard uses JATO bottles on C-130s for short field / heavy payload takeoffs in the arctic. If I recall correctly, there were four bottles per side. I witnessed a demonstration at an airshow last year - impressive boost, painful noise.
chidsey@brl.mil (Irving Chidsey) (08/21/89)
[That's about it for this topic, unless someone has a reference for this.] From: chidsey@brl.mil (Irving Chidsey) This is from a not always reliable memory, but: Back in the late 40s there was a news item about a couple of spectacular crashes in Chicago involving cars with jato bottles in back that suddenly roared down deserted streets in the night and crashed into an inconvenient building after a very short, quarter block, flight. The cars were stolen, and this was presumed to be an unsuccesful test of a better getaway car. Irv -- I do not have signature authority. I am not authorized to sign anything. I am not authorized to commit the BRL, the DOA, the DOD, or the US Government to anything, not even by implication. Irving L. Chidsey <chidsey@brl.mil>