- Original air date: May 1, 2013
JATO 3: Mission Accomplished?
| Myth | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A car with a JATO rocket attached can speed up to 300 miles per hour (480 km/h), become airborne, and impact with the side of a cliff. A revisit of the "Jet Assisted Chevy" myth from the first pilot episode. | Re-Busted | For this experiment, Adam and Jamie planned the particulars for two launches, while the Build Team modified a large dump truck with a protective metal cage around the exterior of the cab for use as a mobile command bunker (later dubbed "the Beast"). The first test involved a Chevrolet Impala with five rockets attached, fired as it approached a line of 50-pound (23 kg) sandbags. The car crossed the berm at over 200 miles per hour (320 km/h), but only managed to get airborne by flipping and tumbling several feet beyond the sandbags, when Adam lost control of the car; there was no indication that the car lifted off at all going over the sandbag berm. The second test involved a second Impala with six rockets attached, launched off a giant ramp as in the Supersized Myths special. This time, the car hit the ramp perfectly straight, but immediately after leaving the ramp, it nose-dived, flipped end-over-end, and landed about 600 feet (180 m) away. The MythBusters came to the conclusion that the myth scenario is impossible simply because cars are not shaped like rockets and are therefore not aerodynamic in a way that supports flight. |
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