Ethiopian Air Lines Convair CV-240 using JATO's for take-off. Both Asmara and Addis Abeba were hot and high airfields necessitating JATO-assisted take-offs; this was abandoned when a mis-alligned bottle exploded, blowing a hole in ET-T-21's wing.
Posted by Kanyiko@reddit | WeirdWings | View on Reddit | 12 comments
monogram-is-king@reddit
Actual question here: How come no one refers to them as RATOs rather than JATOs?
SubstantialYear694@reddit
Because when they were being developed, “rocket” was kind of a hokey term that people associated with fireworks and military rockets of old (which were notoriously dangerous and inaccurate).
So, when Jack Parsons was developing rocket technology for the military, he chose the term “jet” instead because “rocket” wouldn’t be taken as seriously.
Raguleader@reddit
Hence the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
mawzthefinn@reddit
And Aerojet, Inc which he co-founded (and who branded JATO systems as JATO)
richdrich@reddit
I guess when you have a CV like Parsons, any seriousness you can find comes in very handy.
mawzthefinn@reddit
Mostly because that's how Aerojet, Inc branded their units. Aerojet was the manufacturer for most early US rocket assist systems (and a major rocket engine manufacturer in the US for decades)
Notice that JATO is almost always associated with US-built aircraft where non-US aircraft usually are said to be using RATO systems.
badpuffthaikitty@reddit
I did yesterday. JATO vs. RATO is a pet peeve of mine. They are rockets not jets!
Raguleader@reddit
Strictly speaking, rockets are a type of jet, since the "jet" refers to the focused stream of fluid or gas by which it generates thrust. Note that jets can also refer to water jets in a hot tub or a water craft.
Other types of jets include turbojets, ramjets, and motorjets.
diaretical@reddit
They’re referred to as ATO by the only unit still using them operationally.
Dangerous-Salad-bowl@reddit
erm.... #1 feathered?
Kanyiko@reddit (OP)
Yeah, not sure what's up with this one, but I assume it was a demonstration to show that the JATO bottles were capable of compensating for an engine loss.
From what I read, though, JATO starts were standards for EAL CV-240 take-offs out of Addis Abeba's old Lideta airport (7749 ft elevation); when the JATO bottles were abandoned in ca. 1954, the CV-240s would take off with minimal fuel instead out of Lideta and then fly to nearby Debre Zeit (Bishoftu/Harar Meda) air base (6201 ft elevation), where the aircraft were fueled up and took off again.
KJ_is_a_doomer@reddit
Love the JATOposting