Our modern world holds advanced technology that makes our lives a lot easier. If you want to visit your relatives living in other countries, traveling wouldn’t seem impossible compared to thousands of years ago. There are various means of transportation available in our world today, which would allow us to travel whether by land, air, or sea. Traveling by air is one of the greatest advancements during the 20th century, allowing people to soar high in the sky with the use of airplanes.
Like any other machine, an airplane is known for having a heavy-duty engine used to make it fly. Because of the diversity of aircraft created over the years, it is also apparent that various types of aircraft engines were also developed in the process. Each of these engine types is known for its unique features, making it more efficient in some specific tasks.
Interestingly, different engines are created both for commercial and fighter planes, which perfectly suits their design. In this article, we will look into the more profound definition of an aircraft and the main types of engines used for commercial and fighter planes.
What is an Aircraft
The significance of aircraft became widespread over the years, wherein people used them for various tasks. Some of the primary functions of these flying machines include commercial and military use, transporting millions of people through the sky. This type of transportation quickly became popular, mainly because of its efficiency. Air travel is significantly faster compared to the earlier sea travels pioneered during the Age of Exploration. Because of this, people are able to go to different countries and continents easier and more comfortably.
In addition to this, aircraft were used during the two World Wars, wherein it was known as among the most popular vehicles used by various forces. These fighter planes are known for their importance in concluding the war, and interestingly, more than 200,000 airplanes were utilized all around the globe. With this said, we can say that the invention of aircraft surely made a huge impact on our civilization.
What are the Main Types of Aircraft Engines
As mentioned earlier, the evolution of aircraft has led to the creation of different types of engines use to fly these machines. Out of all the diverse aircraft engines, there are main types, where these engines are categorized. Here are some of the main aircraft engines used today:
- Piston Engine – one of the most common and widely used engines is the piston engine, also known as the reciprocation engine. This type of engine uses pistons to create pressure, which would give a rotating motion. A piston engine is usually used in land vehicles, but some airplanes are also known to use this type of engine.
- Gas Turbine – a gas turbine is known to be a more efficient engine when it comes to maximum power output. A gas turbine is also called a combustion turbine, mainly because of the continuous combusting process it does to produce power. Gas turbines are considered the ideal engine for airplanes because of its power to weight ratio. The amount of power it could generate is tremendous despite being relatively small and lightweight.
- Rocket-Powered – a rocket engine is probably one of the most famous engine types used in aircraft. We can see rocket power in movies, TV shows, and so on, and the way people showcase them gives us a brief idea of how powerful this type of engine is. A rocket engine is powered by combusting reactive chemicals at the aircraft’s rear to produce the energy to create a thrust. A rocket-powered aircraft tends to be more powerful and more efficient at high speeds.
- Electric Motor – from the name itself, an electric motor is an engine type that runs with electricity. Our modern world had developed various machines that could run on electric power; cars are among the most common machines that have fully utilized this technology. Interestingly, airplanes are now able to fly with the use of electric motors, converting electrical energy into mechanical energy.