Reciprocating Engines

Most small aircraft are designed with reciprocating engines. The name is derived from the back-and-forth, movement of the pistons that produce the mechanical energy necessary to accomplish work. Reciprocating engines operate on the basic principle of converting chemical energy (fuel) into mechanical energy (movement of the propeller). The two primary reciprocating engine designs are the spark-ignition engine and the compression ignition engine.

  • Spark ignition engines use a spark plug to ignite a pre-mixed fuel-air mixture.
  • A compression ignition engine first compresses the air in the cylinder, raising its temperature to a degree necessary for automatic ignition when fuel is injected into the cylinder. The majority of general aviation aircraft are equiped with a spark-ignition engine, therefore, the following discussion will be limited to the spark-ignition engine.

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