RC Jets In Flight And On The Ground
A jet engine is actually a simple device. It takes in air, compresses it, passes it through a combustion chamber and expels exhaust gases out the rear or back. Now what could be more simple? Three main parts comprise a jet engine. The same design functions in an rc jet engine. They are: Compressor, combustion chamber, and turbines. Intake air is fed through the compressor stage. A series of fan blades in the compressor reduces the volume of air but dramatically increases the pressure by as much as 30 times the original pressure. The compressed air then feeds into the combustion chamber where the jet fuel is continuously injected. The combustion then creates a flow of gases that are very hot and expanding as they are heated. These gases pass over a turbine with fan blades. The turbine is connected to the compressor by an axle, part of the power of the exhaust gases is then used to drive the compressor. The shaft could also be used to drive a machine or generate electricity instead of powering an aircraft. Some jet engines may have a free wheeling turbine stage on its own coaxial shaft, thereby driving a front-mounted fan (turbofan) or propeller (turboprop).With that terminology, you can see where the turboprop plane got its name.
The tremendous heat and pressure of the gases can put a tremendous amount of stress on an airframe. That is one of the reasons the German Heinkel (First fighter jet to fly.) came into operation too late to have a major effect on World War 2. It took the Germans a long time to develop an airframe that could support the jet engine. In addition, fuel consumption was such that it could not get into extended dogfights while flying.
At the beginning of the video below, they remove part of the top of the fuselage of an rc jet and you can see the rc jet engine.