The End of JATO (??)

[cancidas]

found this pic on jp:

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=6275380

and i though that the USAF no longer used rockets to assist in takeoff. i also remember shooting the last ever Fat Albert JATO takeoff in SNS last september, and was told that the folks that made the bottles were out of business and they were harder and harder to come by. in the pic you can clearly see four bottles strapepd to the side of the NY ANG C-130. so what's the real deal regarding JATO(RATO)?

[PhilDernerJr]

That aircraft was at LGA at Kids Day. We all got to go on it.

That plane is for arctic operations, and they use the rockets when needed. I understand they don't really use it much though.

[MORS-AB-ALTO]

I thought the JATO's were done myself. Rumor had it that the surplus bottles left over from the Vietnam War were all gone and the company that produced them belly up. However, the Blue Angel's still use them every so often. Most recently this past weekend in Quebec for their twilight show. On the NYANG Ski-130's I can perhaps see JATO as a tactical requirement while in taking off from a frozen lake in the Artic Circle. Other than that it's some loud noise and pretty colors in the dark for the common airshow fan. An empty Fat Albert is more than capable of performing the same take off angle with or without JATO.

[USAF Pilot 07]

I would imagine each pilot of the NY ANG C-130 would have to use the JATO at least once every 6 months to once a year to remain current on the use of it... Unless there is no currency requirement for such a takeoff function...

[h2opunk1822]

When the angels were in town.. i asked the crew of fat albert when i was fueling them on Sunday.. and from what he said.. they only have 14 "rockets" left.. and no more government funding for them... so pretty much they only use them on special occasions or airshows on location.. and plus from what they said is FRG wouldnt let them use it since it burned up the runway when they used it

[SmAlbany]

That aircraft was at LGA at Kids Day. We all got to go on it.

That plane is for arctic operations, and they use the rockets when needed. I understand they don't really use it much though.

Those guys are based about 6 miles from my house. They always do a JATO demo whenever there is an airshow at KSCH.
I haven't heard that they are losing the capability. I have a friend who works at the base. I'll have to ask ...