Metro's with JATO bottles?

[AceCrackshot]

Can anyone give me a source or any info on JATO bottles being installed in early Metros?

 

[N7167L]

Can anyone give me a source or any info on JATO bottles being installed in early Metros?

It's not much, but a small mention was noted here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Swearingen_Metroliner

 

[flx757]

I flew many of the old Metro IIs with JATO bottles in the early '80s. A few hundred lbs of thrust designed to keep the aircraft airborne while you retracted the landing gear in the event of an engine failure on takeoff. I could not imagine having to rely on that for real. The -3 engines were vastly underpowered and the landing gear had these big spade-type attachments on the back of the strut that would sort of seal up the underside of the nacelle when the gear was retracted. But in the mean time, they were just huge drag devices hanging out when the gear was extended.

No way this aircraft would fly on one engine with the gear extended. SO...the JATO was installed in an effort to keep it airborne until you could retract the gear. Lots of noise and smoke...probably very little actual effect.

Later improvements included removal of the spade doors, the "Super 3" engine mod...then eventually the -10 and -11 engines. These improvements basically ended the need for the JATO.

 

[dojetdriver]

I thought it was more a smoke flare to help find the crash site.

 

[N7167L]

Has anyone ever found a good website (or book) that goes into details on each mod that was ever produced, etc.? (e.g. what was the "Super 3" engine mod?)

 

[Corona]

I flew many of the old Metro IIs with JATO bottles in the early '80s. A few hundred lbs of thrust designed to keep the aircraft airborne while you retracted the landing gear in the event of an engine failure on takeoff. I could not imagine having to rely on that for real. The -3 engines were vastly underpowered and the landing gear had these big spade-type attachments on the back of the strut that would sort of seal up the underside of the nacelle when the gear was retracted. But in the mean time, they were just huge drag devices hanging out when the gear was extended.

No way this aircraft would fly on one engine with the gear extended. SO...the JATO was installed in an effort to keep it airborne until you could retract the gear. Lots of noise and smoke...probably very little actual effect.

Later improvements included removal of the spade doors, the "Super 3" engine mod...then eventually the -10 and -11 engines. These improvements basically ended the need for the JATO.

Yikes! And I always thought the manufacturers could never dream up anything more stupid than the water/meth injection on the good 'ol BA3100!

C

 

[xspud]

Metro III also had AWI. My former airline had IIs before my time and I heard a story about JATO bottles being replaced for time compliance: supposedly the bottles were fired on the ramp with the brakes released and didn't even cause the airplane to roll forward. Even in the III we had to raise the gear at MDA on single engine approaches, couldn't maintain altitude with the gear down.

 

[flx757]

Yep...all the Metros I flew...II, IIA and III, had AWI.

I've heard that same story about the no chocks, no brakes Metro II where they were changing the JATO out (they had to be replaced at certain time intervals), and were taking "bets" on how far it would roll. Like you said, as the story goes, it made much noise and much smoke, but didn't budge at all.

Maybe a true story, maybe urban legend among old Metro drivers, but I have talked to more than one guy that "was there" when one of these "tests" were conducted. True or not, it's a good story that pretty much sums up the usefulness of the JATOs.

 

[SDCFI]

How were the JATO bottles activated from the cockpit? The MEL for our Metros actually still has the rocket listed in it, but I've never seen any info regarding their operation.

 

[flx757]

There was a key that was used to "arm" the system, then there was a red-guarded toggle switch used to activate it. I knew some guys that were always "at the ready" with the JATO. Key "on"...guard raised.:bomb: