All scramjet engines have an inlet, which compresses the incoming air, fuel injectors, a combustion chamber and a thrust nozzle. Typically engines also include a region which acts as a flame holder, although the high stagnation temperatures mean that an area of focused waves may be used, rather than a discrete engine part as seen in turbine engines. An isolator between the inlet and combustion chamber is often included to improve the homogeneity of the flow in the combustor and to extend ...

See also:

Scramjet, Scramjet - History, Scramjet - Simple description, Scramjet - Theory, Scramjet - Applications, Scramjet - Recent progress, Scramjet - Scramjet programmes, Scramjet - HyShot, Scramjet - Hyper-X, Scramjet - Russia and France and NASA, Scramjet - GASL projectile, Scramjet - Scramjet in the movies

Read more here: » Scramjet: Encyclopedia II - Scramjet - Theory

In its simplest form a turbojet consists of an air intake, compressor, combustor, turbine and nozzle. In a ramjet, owing to the high flight speed, the ram compression is sufficient to dispense with the need for a compressor and a turbine to drive it. So a ramjet is virtually a 'flying stovepipe', a very simple device comprising an air intake, combustor and nozzle. Normally, the only moving parts are those within the turbopump, which ...

See also:

Ramjet, Ramjet - Design, Ramjet - Flight speed, Ramjet - Applications, Ramjet - Related engines, Ramjet - Aircraft using ramjets

Read more here: » Ramjet: Encyclopedia II - Ramjet - Design

An engine is something that produces some effect from a given input. The origin of engineering was the working of engines. There is an overlap in English between two meanings of the word "engineer": 'those who operate engines' and 'those who design and construct new items'. Engine - Usage of the term. In original usage, an engine was any sort of mechanical device. The term "gin" in cotton gin is a short form of this usage. Practically every device from the industrial revolution was referred to as an engine, ...

Including:

• Engine - Usage of the term
• Engine - History of engines
• Engine - Antiquity
• Engine - Modern
• Engine - Air-breathing engines

Read more here: » Engine: Encyclopedia - Engine

Fixed-wing aircraft is a term used to refer to what are more commonly known as airplanes in North American English and aeroplanes in Commonwealth English. An airplane is a heavier-than-air aircraft where movement of the wings in relation to the aircraft is not used to generate lift. All aircraft wings flex, and some aircraft have wings that can tilt, sweep back or fold, but if none of these movements are used to g ...

Including:

• Fixed-wing aircraft - Conventional airplanes
• Fixed-wing aircraft - Fixed parts
• Fixed-wing aircraft - Mobile parts
• Fixed-wing aircraft - Flight lift
• Fixed-wing aircraft - Types of fixed-wing aircraft
• Fixed-wing aircraft - Propeller aircraft
• Fixed-wing aircraft - Jet aircraft
• Fixed-wing aircraft - Super sonic aircraft
• Fixed-wing aircraft - Rocket-powered aircraft
• Fixed-wing aircraft - Ramjet aircraft
• Fixed-wing aircraft - History
• Fixed-wing aircraft - Designing and constructing an airplane
• Fixed-wing aircraft - Industrialized production
• Fixed-wing aircraft - Safety

Read more here: » Fixed-wing aircraft: Encyclopedia - Fixed-wing aircraft

They are found almost exclusively in missiles, where they are boosted to operating speeds by a rocket engine, or by being attached to another aircraft (typically a fighter). Ramjet propulsion is used in the British Bloodhound (no longer in service) and Sea Dart surface-to-air missiles. The Bomarc missile in the U.S. used two body pylons underneath the wings each housing a Marquardt ramjet engine capable of producing 10,000 pounds of thrust in the A version and 14,000 pounds thrust in the B version. The Bomarc served as part of the North America ...

See also:

Ramjet, Ramjet - Design, Ramjet - Flight speed, Ramjet - Applications, Ramjet - Related engines, Ramjet - Aircraft using ramjets

Read more here: » Ramjet: Encyclopedia II - Ramjet - Applications

Ramjets always slow the incoming air to a subsonic velocity within the combustor. Scramjets, or "supersonic combustion ramjet" are similar to Ramjets, but the air goes through the entire engine at supersonic speeds, eliminating the strong normal shock wave in the intake. This increases the stagnation pressure recovered from the freestream and improves net thrust. Owing to the hypersonic (rather than supersonic) flight speeds experienced, scramjet air intake temperatures are too high for burning kerosene, so hydrogen is normally used as the f ...

See also:

Ramjet, Ramjet - Design, Ramjet - Flight speed, Ramjet - Applications, Ramjet - Related engines, Ramjet - Aircraft using ramjets

Read more here: » Ramjet: Encyclopedia II - Ramjet - Related engines

Fixed-wing aircraft - Propeller aircraft. Propeller airplanes make use of combustion engines, that in turn, turn a propeller, which creates the necessary force for the movement of the aircraft. They are relatively quiet, but they fly at lower speeds, and have lower load capacity compared to similar sized jet powered aircraft. However, they are significantly cheaper and much more economic than jets, and is the generally the best option for people who need to use an airplane in a smaller company to transport a few passengers and/or small amounts of cargo. They are also t ...

See also:

Fixed-wing aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Conventional airplanes, Fixed-wing aircraft - Fixed parts, Fixed-wing aircraft - Mobile parts, Fixed-wing aircraft - Flight lift, Fixed-wing aircraft - Types of fixed-wing aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Propeller aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Jet aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Super sonic aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Rocket-powered aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Ramjet aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - History, Fixed-wing aircraft - Designing and constructing an airplane, Fixed-wing aircraft - Industrialized production, Fixed-wing aircraft - Safety

Read more here: » Fixed-wing aircraft: Encyclopedia II - Fixed-wing aircraft - Types of fixed-wing aircraft

Engine - Antiquity. While chemical and electrical engines of enormous power dominate the modern world, engines themselves are not new. Engines using human power, animal power, water power, wind power and even steam power date back to antiquity. Human power was focused by the use of simple engines, such as the capstan, windlass or treadmill, and with ropes, pulleys, and block and tackle arrangements, this power was transmitted and multiplied. These were commonly used in cranes and aboard ships during Ancien ...

See also:

Engine, Engine - Usage of the term, Engine - History of engines, Engine - Antiquity, Engine - Modern, Engine - Air-breathing engines

Read more here: » Engine: Encyclopedia II - Engine - History of engines

Statistics show that the risk of an air accident is very small. One is more likely to have an accident going to the airport in a car than have one during your flight. Many people have a fear of flying because the risk of death in an aircraft accident, if there is one, is extremely high. Furthermore, car crashes rarely feature outside local news whereas air crashes are reported internationally, making the risk seem greater. The majority of aircraft accidents occur due to human error, that is, an error of the pilot(s) or control tower. ...

See also:

Fixed-wing aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Conventional airplanes, Fixed-wing aircraft - Fixed parts, Fixed-wing aircraft - Mobile parts, Fixed-wing aircraft - Flight lift, Fixed-wing aircraft - Types of fixed-wing aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Propeller aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Jet aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Super sonic aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Rocket-powered aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Ramjet aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - History, Fixed-wing aircraft - Designing and constructing an airplane, Fixed-wing aircraft - Industrialized production, Fixed-wing aircraft - Safety

Read more here: » Fixed-wing aircraft: Encyclopedia II - Fixed-wing aircraft - Safety

An airplane flies due to the aerodynamic reactions that happen when air passes at high speed over the wing. If you look at a cross-section of an airplane wing, you will see that the top of the wing is curved, while the bottom of the wing is straight -- or at least curved less than the top. This shape -- called an "airfoil" -- is what creates lift when a wing travels through the air. Image:American taking off.jpgWhen an airplane wing travels through the air, it forces the air to pass both on top of and underneath the wing. Becau ...

See also:

Fixed-wing aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Conventional airplanes, Fixed-wing aircraft - Fixed parts, Fixed-wing aircraft - Mobile parts, Fixed-wing aircraft - Flight lift, Fixed-wing aircraft - Types of fixed-wing aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Propeller aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Jet aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Super sonic aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Rocket-powered aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Ramjet aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - History, Fixed-wing aircraft - Designing and constructing an airplane, Fixed-wing aircraft - Industrialized production, Fixed-wing aircraft - Safety

Read more here: » Fixed-wing aircraft: Encyclopedia II - Fixed-wing aircraft - Flight lift

The dream of flight goes back, for Man, to the days of pre-history. Many legends, beliefs and myths of antiquity involve flight, such as the legend of Icarus. Leonardo of the Vinci, among others visionary inventors, drew an airplane, in the 15th century. With the first flight made by man (Francois Pilatre de Rozier and Francois d'Arlandes) in an aircraft lighter than air, a balloon, the biggest challenge became to create other craft, capable of controlled flight. Years of research by many eager people who dreamed of flight produced ve ...

See also:

Fixed-wing aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Conventional airplanes, Fixed-wing aircraft - Fixed parts, Fixed-wing aircraft - Mobile parts, Fixed-wing aircraft - Flight lift, Fixed-wing aircraft - Types of fixed-wing aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Propeller aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Jet aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Super sonic aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Rocket-powered aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Ramjet aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - History, Fixed-wing aircraft - Designing and constructing an airplane, Fixed-wing aircraft - Industrialized production, Fixed-wing aircraft - Safety

Read more here: » Fixed-wing aircraft: Encyclopedia II - Fixed-wing aircraft - History

Small airplanes can be designed and constructed at home, by aviators who possess sufficient knowledge in the areas of engineering, physics and aerodynamics. Other aviators with less knowledge make their airplanes using complete kits, with pre-manufactured parts, and assemble the aircraft themselves. While there are thousands of "amateur-built" airplanes flying around the world, they are still a small minority. Given their complexity, most airplanes are constructed by companies with the objective of producing them in quantity for custo ...

See also:

Fixed-wing aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Conventional airplanes, Fixed-wing aircraft - Fixed parts, Fixed-wing aircraft - Mobile parts, Fixed-wing aircraft - Flight lift, Fixed-wing aircraft - Types of fixed-wing aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Propeller aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Jet aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Super sonic aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Rocket-powered aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Ramjet aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - History, Fixed-wing aircraft - Designing and constructing an airplane, Fixed-wing aircraft - Industrialized production, Fixed-wing aircraft - Safety

Read more here: » Fixed-wing aircraft: Encyclopedia II - Fixed-wing aircraft - Designing and constructing an airplane

There are relatively few companies that produce airplanes on a large scale. However, the production of an airplane for one company is a process that actually involves dozens, or even hundreds, of other companies and plants, that produce the parts that go into the aircraft. For example, one company can be responsible for the production of the landing gear, while another one is responsible for the radar. The production of such parts is not limited to the same city or country; in the case of large aircraft manufac ...

See also:

Fixed-wing aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Conventional airplanes, Fixed-wing aircraft - Fixed parts, Fixed-wing aircraft - Mobile parts, Fixed-wing aircraft - Flight lift, Fixed-wing aircraft - Types of fixed-wing aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Propeller aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Jet aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Super sonic aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Rocket-powered aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Ramjet aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - History, Fixed-wing aircraft - Designing and constructing an airplane, Fixed-wing aircraft - Industrialized production, Fixed-wing aircraft - Safety

Read more here: » Fixed-wing aircraft: Encyclopedia II - Fixed-wing aircraft - Industrialized production

In original usage, an engine was any sort of mechanical device. The term "gin" in cotton gin is a short form of this usage. Practically every device from the industrial revolution was referred to as an engine, and this is where the steam engine gained its name. This form of the term has recently come into use once again in computer science, where terms like search engine, "3-D graphics rendering engine" and "text-to-speech engine" are common. The earliest mechanical computing device was called the difference engine; Military devices such as catapu ...

See also:

Engine, Engine - Usage of the term, Engine - History of engines, Engine - Antiquity, Engine - Modern, Engine - Air-breathing engines

Read more here: » Engine: Encyclopedia II - Engine - Usage of the term

Air-breathing engines use atmospheric air to oxidise the fuel carried, rather than carrying an oxidiser, as in a rocket. Theoretically, this should result in a better specific impulse than for rocket engines. Air-breathing engines include: Internal combustion engine Jet engine Ramjet Scramjet Pulse detonation engine Pulse jet Liquid air cycle engine/SABRE ...

See also:

Engine, Engine - Usage of the term, Engine - History of engines, Engine - Antiquity, Engine - Modern, Engine - Air-breathing engines

Read more here: » Engine: Encyclopedia II - Engine - Air-breathing engines

Conventional airplanes -- from small planes such as the Bumble Bee II and Cessna 140 to a gigantic Antonov 225 -- consist of a longitudinal fuselage, one or more wings to provide the majority of lift, a tailplane for stability, and a one or more vertical surfaces at the tail for stability. Fixed-wing aircraft - Fixed parts. Each wing is a single wing structure integrated into the fuselage of the aircraft. Sometimes, the half of a wing on either side of the fuselage is referred to as a wing, e.g. left ...

See also:

Fixed-wing aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Conventional airplanes, Fixed-wing aircraft - Fixed parts, Fixed-wing aircraft - Mobile parts, Fixed-wing aircraft - Flight lift, Fixed-wing aircraft - Types of fixed-wing aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Propeller aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Jet aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Super sonic aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Rocket-powered aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - Ramjet aircraft, Fixed-wing aircraft - History, Fixed-wing aircraft - Designing and constructing an airplane, Fixed-wing aircraft - Industrialized production, Fixed-wing aircraft - Safety

Read more here: » Fixed-wing aircraft: Encyclopedia II - Fixed-wing aircraft - Conventional airplanes

In recent years, significant progress has been made in the development of hypersonic technology, particularly in the field of scramjet engines. While American efforts are probably the best funded, the first to demonstrate a scramjet working in an atmospheric test was a shoestring project by an Australian team at the University of Queensland. The university's HyShot project demonstrated scramjet combustion in 2002. This demonstration was somewhat limited, however; while the scramjet engine worked effectively and demonstrated supersonic combustion in action, the engine was not d ...

See also:

Scramjet, Scramjet - History, Scramjet - Simple description, Scramjet - Theory, Scramjet - Applications, Scramjet - Recent progress, Scramjet - Scramjet programmes, Scramjet - HyShot, Scramjet - Hyper-X, Scramjet - Russia and France and NASA, Scramjet - GASL projectile, Scramjet - Scramjet in the movies

Read more here: » Scramjet: Encyclopedia II - Scramjet - Recent progress

Scramjet - HyShot. On July 30, 2002, the University of Queensland's HyShot team conducted the first ever test successful flight of a scramjet. The team took a unique approach to the problem of accelerating the engine to the necessary speed by using an Terrier-Orion sounding rocket to take the aircraft up on a parabolic trajectory to an altitude of 314 km. As the craft re-entered the atmosphere, it dropped to a speed of Mach 7.6. The scramjet engine then started, and it flew at about Mach 7.6 for 6 seconds. ...

See also:

Scramjet, Scramjet - History, Scramjet - Simple description, Scramjet - Theory, Scramjet - Applications, Scramjet - Recent progress, Scramjet - Scramjet programmes, Scramjet - HyShot, Scramjet - Hyper-X, Scramjet - Russia and France and NASA, Scramjet - GASL projectile, Scramjet - Scramjet in the movies

Read more here: » Scramjet: Encyclopedia II - Scramjet - Scramjet programmes

During and after World War II, tremendous amounts of time and effort were put into researching high-speed jet- and rocket-powered aircraft. The Bell X-1 attained supersonic flight in 1947, and by the early 1960s, rapid progress towards faster aircraft suggested that operational aircraft would be flying at "hypersonic" speeds within a few years. Except for specialized rocket research vehicles like the North American X-15 and other rocket-powered spacecraft, aircraft top speeds have remained level, general ...

See also:

Scramjet, Scramjet - History, Scramjet - Simple description, Scramjet - Theory, Scramjet - Applications, Scramjet - Recent progress, Scramjet - Scramjet programmes, Scramjet - HyShot, Scramjet - Hyper-X, Scramjet - Russia and France and NASA, Scramjet - GASL projectile, Scramjet - Scramjet in the movies

Read more here: » Scramjet: Encyclopedia II - Scramjet - History

A scramjet is a type of engine which is designed to operate at the high speeds normally associated with rocket propulsion. It is different from a rocket because it uses air collected from the atmosphere to burn its fuel, rather than carrying oxidiser in tanks. Normal jet engines and ramjet engines also use air collected from the atmosphere in this way. The problem is that collecting air from the atmosphere causes drag, which increases quickly as the speed increases. Also, at high speed, the air collected becomes so ho ...

See also:

Scramjet, Scramjet - History, Scramjet - Simple description, Scramjet - Theory, Scramjet - Applications, Scramjet - Recent progress, Scramjet - Scramjet programmes, Scramjet - HyShot, Scramjet - Hyper-X, Scramjet - Russia and France and NASA, Scramjet - GASL projectile, Scramjet - Scramjet in the movies

Read more here: » Scramjet: Encyclopedia II - Scramjet - Simple description