JATO, RATOG etc

[dodgydave]

Ok, anyone out there know anything regarding J.A.T.O or R.A.T.O.G units? I have a JATO 'bottle', but it's not the usual type as seen previously on this forum. I'll include a picture soon, but in the mean time, it's about 36" tall and resembles a welding gas cylinder, with a nozzle/venturi on the top, an electrical connection on the side near the top, with a 'safety valve' next to that. It was recovered from mudflats in the 1970's and has been on display in a museum near me, since the early '80's. Also, I have a 'carrier' for the usual type of JATO, which would appear to hold 4 units (again, photo to follow). Does anyone have or know of any photos of these carriers in use i.e fitment etc?

 

[beihan62]

Hi Dave,there were quite a few aircraft that used RATOG,including would you believe the Blackburn Beverely,the "carrier"you have for four units would I think be for use on Aircraft Carriers,I have seen pics of a Seafire (I think) fitted with this type of unit,it was fitted on both wings above the wing root trailing edge,angled slightly outwards away from the fuselage,I would assume after take off they would be jettisoned as the drag penalty would have been high if they were left in place,the duration of burn would have been counted in seconds as it was only needed to give the loaded (bombs/rockets etc.)aircraft a boost up to flying speed on the short deck during a carrier take off,
I will see if I can find that pic for you,
Regards,Don,

 

[Taber10]

Do a search for the US Navy's Blue Angel support aircraft, called "Fat Albert" which is a slightly modified C-130 Aircraft that used JATO for "demonstration" purposes very recently. There are lots of publicity shots of this display, which used to accompany the actual aerobatic displays put on by the fighter type aircraft.

 

[dodgydave]

Here's a photo of one of the larger JATO bottles. It's about 36" tall and 12" in diameter. This picture appears in the latest FLYPAST magazine as it was sent in by my brother. The paint job is courtesy of the museum we had it on loan to. The red bit on the righthand side is a pressure relief outlet, with a copper disc underneath, the other red bit is the ignition electrical connection, with the white venturi on top. There are 3 mounting lugs on the other side.

 

[US-Subs]

Here is another, just a little smaller.

 

[dodgydave]

Thanks for the replies. We also have one of the smaller JATOs as in US Subs photo and its carrier, which incidently, had 4 of these attached!!

 

[AussieBri]

This is a 4AS-1000 Mk. 2 JATO (Jet-Assisted-Take-Off) rocket motor, developed and constructed by the Aerojet Engineering Corporation for helping to lift heavily loaded planes and for rescue work. The motor produced 1,000 pounds of thrust for four seconds. The 4AS-1000 dates to 1953, and was a modification of the 14AS-1000. Due to its short duration, the 4AS-1000 was not as widely used as the standard 14AS-1000.

When the 4AS-1000 appeared, Aerojet was becoming one of the world's leading developers and producers of liquid and solid fuel rocket motors for a wide variety of applications, from boosters, to missile power plants, sounding rocket motors, and launch vehicle engines, plus many miscellaneous applications.

Aerojet General donated this JATO Unit to the Smithsonian in 1968

 

[kiwieod]

i was at the miramar airshow one year and saw fat albert do a JATO takeoff
it was the most spectacular thing ive ever seen,a c130 climbed to a 1000ft in a few seconds
i will never forget it

 

[Dreamk]

The first JATO (Jet Assisted Take Off) were developed by Aerojet in 1941-42, the first small series production of JATO aimed at assisting thr take off of Douglas A-20 bombers took place in 1944. The years 1946-1956 saw the development of new types of boosters for various types of aircraft.

 

[Dreamk]

See also what I wrote a few years ago in the following thread:

JATO or RATOG Details Wanted

I am working with a group who are planning to re-furbish some sea-recovered JATO or RATOG units and wonder if anyone has any of these items in their collection; or drawings, photographs or technical information? TIA, Depotman

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