Q: What is a gas turbine? A: In a gas turbine, pressurized gas spins the turbine. In all modern gas turbine engines, the engine produces its own pressurized gas by burning something like propane, natural gas, kerosene or jet fuel. The heat that comes from burning the fuel expands air, and the high-speed rush of this hot air spins the turbine.

When you go to an airport and see the commercial jets there, you can't help but notice the huge ­engines that power them. Most commercial jets are powered by turbofan engines, and turbofans are one example of a general class of engines called gas turbine engines.

You may have never heard of gas turbine engines, but they are used in all kinds of unexpected places. For example, many of the helicopters you see, a lot of s­maller power plants and even the M-1 Tank use gas turbines. In this article, we will look at gas turbine engines to see what makes them tick!