Warbird Information Exchange

Anyone out there know of a source for active/live JATO bottles? No, it's not for a Sprint car...

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Robbie

Mythbusters: DEBUNKED! (that was a fun eposide!)

And even they couldn't get live JATOs for the show. (Granted it was Season One and the show was new, but the Air Force didn't even call them back.) The used large rockets made by professionals.

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"They done it, they done it, damned if they ain't flew." December 17, 1903

that one was a real disappointment to me. I always dreamed of cutting the heads off of enough matches, grinding it up into a big solid rocket fuel, shoving it into a humongous drain pipe, welding it into the back end of my pickup, and firing her up!

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"I knew the jig was up when I saw the P-51D-20-NA Mustang blue-nosed bastards from Bodney, and by the way the blue was more of a royal blue than an indigo and the inner landing gear interiors were NOT green, over Berlin."

As far as I know, there are no active JATO bottles being produced for aircraft in the U.S. There might be some from other sources, I don't know. I have a friend who was a Blue Angel pilot flying the C-130 "Fat Albert". One of the things they do at airshows is a JATO takeoff. He told me that JATO hasn't been made since the 50's or 60's and they are quickly running out of the current stockpile. Right now the Blue Angels use an old model 130, the A? which has the JATO attachments. Since the Blues only have very few remaining bottles they are starting to ration them for their airshows. He said that when they fire the last JATO at an airshow in the next 2 to 3 years, that they would retire those old model 130's and replace them with the J model. The J model has no provision for JATO bottles. When that happens, it will be the last U.S. military airplane to use JATO bottles.

I don't know, are JATO bottles used for anything else - perhaps rocket sled testing for NASA, etc?

Deleted

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Bob

At the Airfest airshow in San Antonio they only used JATO for the Saturday show (Yay!). They mentioned that they're close to running out of the bottles.

Ryan

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Aerial Photographer with Red Wing Aerial Photography currently based at KRBD and tailwheel CFI.
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The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Prov. 21:31 - Train, Practice, Trust.

Thanks for the correction, SAR pilot. I couldn't remember which model they flew.

I just thought of another source. What about the former Soviet block and/or Communist countries? Maybe they still use JATO. Seeing as how they rarely throw anything away, I'll bet they still have some JATO bottles around somewhere. Good luck trying to buy them, much less importing them into the U.S. however!

I doubt that any Eastern European equipment would be compatible, surely?

I've always wondered why the term JATO took over from RATO when as they are always Rockets, and not Jets? The Wiki article implies that 'JATO' is correct; but how is a rocket a jet, or am I missing something?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JATO

(With the Germans using them first - presumably called something multi-syllable and unpronounceable - the English use was called RATO by the British and then developed further in the US, AFAIK always under the term JATO.)

Good question on rocket sled testing being an alternate source. I presume the lack of supply is that they aren't much needed against alternative methods today - they can hardly be high-technology equipment, as rockets of this level are, I understand, pretty straightforward construction. Or not?

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James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

Quote "The Israeli AF still uses JATO, as seen (among others)"

I think OP implied that when they retire the JATO this maybe the only Mil' A/C at that time not current.

Quote "I've always wondered why the term JATO took over from RATO when as they are always Rockets, and not Jets? The Wiki article implies that 'JATO' is correct; but how is a rocket a jet, or am I missing something?"

Perhaps because the units are assisting a JET powered (Turbine) A/C, if the aircraft was rocket powered with these bottle(s) it would be a RATO (my 2 cents).

Todd