203:, is propelled down a long cylinder under steam pressure. The aircraft is attached to the shuttle using a tow bar or launch bar mounted to the nose landing gear (an older system used a steel cable called a catapult bridle; the forward ramps on older carrier bows were used to catch these cables), and is flung off the deck at about 15 knots above minimum flying speed, achieved by the catapult in a four-second run.
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Usually the rationale for such a system is to free the daughter craft from the need to climb to its release height under its own power. This allows the daughter craft to be designed with fewer weight and aerodynamic restrictions allowing for exotic configurations to be used or tested, for example the
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In the interwar years, in order to achieve long ranges with the technology of the time, trials were undertaken with floatplanes piggy-backed atop flying boats. With the floatplane carried part of the way to its destination and freed from having to use any of its own fuel in the initial climb, these
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Early pioneers in powered and unpowered flight used gravity to accelerate their aircraft to a speed which allowed its wings to generate enough lift to achieve independent flight. These included attempts to achieve flight from towers, city walls and cliffs. Generally more successful were attempts in
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JATO stands for 'Jet-assisted takeoff' (and the similar RATO for 'Rocket-assisted takeoff'). In the JATO and RATO systems, additional engines are mounted on the airframe which are used only during takeoff. After that the engines are usually jettisoned, or else they just add to the parasitic weight
257:"Gigant" used rocket units beneath the wings for assisted takeoff. Such systems were popular during the 1950s, when heavy bombers started to require two or more miles of runway to take off fully laden. This was exacerbated by the relatively low power available from
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MR.3 Phase 2, had permanently attached JATO engines. The four J-47 turbojet engines on the B-36 were not considered JATO systems; they were an integral part of the aircraft's propulsion, and were used during takeoff, climb, and cruise at altitude. The
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engines to yield the required performance, and still needed RATO for very heavy payloads (a proposed update of the B-52 replaces these with half the number of much more powerful engines). In a
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context, RATO and JATO bottles were seen as a way for fighter aircraft to use the undamaged sections of runways of airfields which had been attacked.
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along its length, pulling the plane with it. This system allows more precise control over the launch power, causing less wear on the aircraft.
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or mother craft. This may be because the daughter craft is incapable of taking off normally e.g. the atmospheric flight tests of the
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combinations could deliver light but time-critical cargos faster and farther than a single individual aircraft (for example the
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Glider aircraft which do not have an engine also require an assisted takeoff. Apart from self launching gliders,
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can be equipped with a JATO rocket system to shorten takeoff as used in the LC-130 Skibird for polar missions.
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which speed was built up by accelerating down hills and mountain slopes, sometimes on rails or ramps.
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Another form of gravity assistance is when an aircraft is released from a larger
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and drag of the aircraft. However, some aircraft such as the
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length, or a combination of all three factors. Assisted
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Tow line and towing aircraft seen from the cockpit of a
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F/A-18 attached to steam catapult preparatory to launch
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to get into the air (as opposed to strictly under its
426:"LC-130 Skibird Aircrews Train for Polar Operations"
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49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
375:Hot air balloons have acted as "motherships" to
458:(1 ed.). European Aviation Safety Agency.
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16:System used to help aircraft get into the air
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191:A well-known type of assisted takeoff is an
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383:in altitude and distance record attempts.
210:is replacing carrier steam catapults with
175:and are unable to take off by themselves.
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
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395:, for an example of gravity assistance.
285:recognizes four other launch methods:
216:electromagnetic aircraft launch system
401:, for the work of the early pioneers.
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47:adding citations to reliable sources
326:pictured just after release from a
742:Shipborne rolling vertical landing
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34:needs additional citations for
314:Mother ship (carrier) aircraft
195:. In modern systems fitted on
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793:Types of take-off and landing
121:For other uses of "ATO", see
261:at the time—for example the
214:. The system is called the
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430:U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
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263:Boeing B-52 Stratofortress
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147:is any system for helping
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772:Floating landing platform
664:Launch and recovery cycle
449:Part FCL Handbook, EASA.
212:linear induction motors
199:, a piston, known as a
171:, which do not have an
767:Water landing/ditching
519:Non-rocket spacelaunch
514:Balanced field takeoff
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249:During WW2 the German
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157:maximum takeoff weight
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595:Brodie landing system
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230:Further information:
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167:is also required for
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762:Touch-and-go landing
370:Short Mayo Composite
255:Messerschmitt Me 323
123:ATO (disambiguation)
43:improve this article
747:Short-field landing
587:Takeoff and landing
498:takeoff and landing
399:History of aviation
393:Colditz Cock glider
58:"Assisted take-off"
539:Zero-length launch
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305:Gravity assistance
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722:Emergency landing
717:Deadstick landing
712:Crosswind landing
707:Corkscrew landing
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99:December 2007
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60: –
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54:Find sources:
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32:This article
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21:
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752:Soft landing
737:Hard landing
548:
534:Space launch
451:
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433:. Retrieved
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381:para gliders
377:hang gliders
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354:SpaceShipOne
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251:Arado Ar 234
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41:Please help
36:verification
33:
572:Rocket sled
405:Silbervogel
342:mother ship
259:jet engines
757:Splashdown
435:2018-10-05
412:References
360:and other
334:See also:
69:newspapers
496:Types of
153:own power
787:Category
577:Ski-jump
557:Catapult
387:See also
362:X-planes
358:Bell X-1
299:car tows
291:aerotows
271:Cold War
267:turbojet
253:and the
220:armature
149:aircraft
141:aviation
694:Landing
600:CATOBAR
506:Takeoff
352:recent
277:Gliders
201:shuttle
169:gliders
165:takeoff
83:scholar
645:V/STOL
630:STOBAR
173:engine
161:runway
134:glider
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654:VTOHL
640:STOVL
610:eVTOL
456:(PDF)
90:JSTOR
76:books
684:HTVL
679:HTHL
674:VTHL
669:VTVL
659:VTOL
650:VTHL
635:STOL
625:RTOL
620:QTOL
615:PTOL
605:CTOL
567:JATO
452:EASA
379:and
328:B-52
324:X-15
297:and
283:EASA
232:JATO
206:The
62:news
372:).
322:An
139:In
45:by
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