JATO is short for '
Jet Assisted Take Off'. These are
engines commonly attached to heavily laden
cargo planes, to enable them to take off from short
runways. The first JATO assisted flight was made in 1929, when 33 solid
propellant rockets were straped to a Junkers-33
sea plane.
There is also an
urban legend about a man who strapped a JATO to his
car, with humorous results...
See
Legend of the Rocket Car