Convair CV-340 operating for Caribair taking off using JATO rockets at St. Thomas airport. (I guess i'm the JATO airliners guy now)

Posted by KJ_is_a_doomer@reddit | WeirdWings | View on Reddit | 16 comments

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PBJnFritos@reddit

JATO - jet assisted take off or RATO - rocket assisted take off?

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"Jet" refers to the fast stream of fluid (liquid or gas) propelled out of the back of something to ask Isaac Newton to send us in the opposite direction, so in this case the rocket motor creates the jet to assist the take off.

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DaveB44@reddit

RATOG in UK terminology.

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mawzthefinn@reddit

The Jet in JATO refers to Aerojet, Inc, not the type of unit itself.

Aerojet is a maker of rocket engines.

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Radioactive_Tuber57@reddit

Now, this is cool! Never understood why. 👍

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erhue@reddit

saying RATO would be ideal in this case, but I believe JATO and RATO have been used interchangeably in the past.

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YumWoonSen@reddit

I remember flying into and back out of St Thomas before they expanded the runway for widebodies. This was 1983.

On the way in we went lower and lower over the water until I was looking UP at the tops of sailboat masts then BAM wheels touched and then the pilots jammed on brakes and reverse thrust like I had never before experienced. The end of the runway was on it's own skinny jetty so it really looked like we were landing in the water until the very last second.

Then the take off a week later. They taxied to the end of the jetty/runway, turned around, then spooled up the engines while standing on the brakes them WOOSH off we went with acceleration I'd never felt before. Straight towards the big ass mountain off the end of the runway. I could clearly see inside homes on the side of the mountain as we ascended. I remember seeing someone eating a sandwich and I wondered what kind it was lol.

What a fun ride.

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