Why a Jet Engine Coughs

Why a Jet Engine Coughs

Share this story It usually announces itself with a bang — a sharp, cannon-like crack from the engine, sometimes a tongue of flame out the intake or exhaust, and a stomach-dropping sag in thrust. To a passenger it sounds like the engine has exploded. Usually, it...
Compressor Stall: Why a Jet Engine Coughs Fire

Compressor Stall: Why a Jet Engine Coughs Fire

Share this story A jet engine is a machine for keeping air moving in one direction. When it briefly stops doing that, the result is spectacular: a bang like an explosion, a sheet of flame out of the tailpipe, sometimes out of the intake as well, and an aircraft that...