LESSON 1.3 — AIRPLANE FUNDAMENTALS

Check — Aircraft Engines

3 questions on what you just watched. Answer or skip — either way, continue when ready.

1. What are the two fundamental types of aircraft engines used throughout history?

Piston engines — used in smaller and historical aircraft — drive propellers via reciprocating pistons; jet engines, dominant in modern aviation, generate thrust by compressing, combusting and expelling air.

2. In a piston engine, what converts the pistons' reciprocating motion into the rotation that drives the propeller?

Each piston connects to the crankshaft via a connecting rod, translating linear motion into rotation. Radial engines arrange the cylinders in a circle around the crankshaft — like the 18-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-2800.

3. What is the correct order of the processes inside a jet engine?

Air is drawn in, compressed by the fan/compressor, mixed with fuel and ignited in the combustor; the hot gases drive the turbine (keeping the compressor spinning) and exit through the nozzle, generating thrust.

THINK & DISCUSS

Piston engines dominated 40 years; jets took the next 80. What will power the aircraft of 2065?

No single right answer — form your own view and defend it.

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