Rocket Assisted Takeoff (RATO) for Business Jets

Contaminated runways (snow/ice) cause balanced field length (BFL) requirements for Part 25 aircraft to increase significantly. This makes departure from smaller airports impossible. An all-weather business jet should not be grounded due to weather on the surface.

It is proposed that new twin-engine jet designs include the ability to use a small solid fuel rocket engine (like a JATO bottle) for use during takeoff from runways that are too short only because of contamination. That extra thrust for a few seconds, activated at a special very low V₁ speed, would ensure safety through the second segment climb regardless of an engine failure. If an engine fails prior to this low V₁ speed, the aircraft can stop on the remaining runway in spite of the contamination. All the technical challenges of this concept could be overcome easily; the regulatory ones would be harder.