JATO

JATO (acronym for jet-assisted take-off), is a type of assisted take-off for helping overloaded aircraft into the air by providing additional thrust in the form of small rockets. The term JATO is used interchangeably with the (more specific) term RATO, for rocket-assisted take-off (or, in RAF parlance, RATOG for rocket-assisted take-off gear).

Early experiments and World War II

Early experiments using rockets to boost gliders into the air were conducted in Germany in the 1920s (Lippisch Ente), and later both the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe introduced such systems in World War II. The British system used fairly large solid fuel rockets to shoot planes (typically the Hawker Hurricane) off a small ramp fitted to the fronts of merchant ships, known in service as Catapult armed merchantmen (or CAM Ships), in order to provide some cover against German maritime patrol planes. After firing, the rocket was released from the back of the plane to fall into the water and sink. The task done, the pilot would fly to friendly territory if possible or parachute from the plane, hopefully to be picked up by one of the escort vessels. Over two years the system was only employed nine times to attack German aircraft with eight kills recorded for the loss of a single pilot.

Jato (Stone Grinder)

Jato (Devanagari: जाँतो) is a form of grinder in the Himalayan region of Nepal, Sikkim, Darjeeling, Bhutan, which is made of up of stone. It consists of two round stone of which the bottom part is attached to the ground or the floor in the house and has a big nail or wood in the centre to keep the top stone in place while grinding. The top part however has two holes in it, one in the middle to keep grains and the other on the side to place a handle for grinding. The grains are grinded using a circular motion with the help of the handle and the person has to be sitting down to do the task.

References

JATO (disambiguation)

JATO or ""jet-assisted take-off" refers to the use of rockets to provide additional thrust for starting aircraft.

It may also refer to: