What Makes the Airplane Cross the Oceans

When you watch a massive airplane climb into the sky and head across the oceans, it is easy to be captivated by its wings, its size, or its speed. Yet the true heart of modern aviation lies in something less visible but infinitely powerful: the jet engine. Without these remarkable machines, long-haul travel on aircraft like the Airbus A350 or Boeing 787 would be impossible. To understand how today’s planes shrink the world into hours, we need to dive into the world of jet engines—their design, their fuel, their power, and the giants who build them.

What is a Jet Engine?

A jet engine is a type of reaction engine that produces thrust by expelling high-speed exhaust gases backward, propelling the aircraft forward. It operates on a principle first defined by Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of motion: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In simple terms, air is sucked in at the front, compressed, mixed with fuel, ignited, and then blasted out the back at incredible speed. This explosion of hot gases creates the thrust that pushes the airplane forward.

Modern commercial jet engines are turbofan engines. Unlike older turbojets that focused purely on high-velocity exhaust, turbofans use a large front fan to move both cold bypass air and hot jet exhaust. The combination provides high thrust with much better fuel efficiency—perfect for crossing oceans.

How Jet Engines Work Step by Step

A jet engine’s magic lies in four continuous steps. First, the fan at the front pulls in enormous volumes of air. Next, this air passes through a compressor, where rows of spinning blades squeeze it into a smaller space, raising both its pressure and temperature. In the combustion chamber, the compressed air is mixed with jet fuel—typically aviation kerosene, known as Jet-A—and ignited, creating a controlled fireball. Finally, the superheated gases rush through turbines that extract some energy to keep the compressors and fans spinning, before being expelled at high speed through the nozzle to produce thrust.

These steps happen thousands of times per second, generating a smooth and continuous force powerful enough to push a 250-ton airplane off the ground and across the globe.

The Power Behind the Skies

Jet engines are astonishing in their strength. A single modern engine can generate between 70,000 and 100,000 pounds of thrust. To put that into perspective, that’s the power of hundreds of racing cars working together—all contained in a machine that can hang beneath a wing. This immense thrust allows widebody aircraft such as the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner to carry hundreds of passengers and cargo thousands of miles nonstop.

Yet power is only half the story. Modern engines are marvels of efficiency. Advances in materials, aerodynamics, and computer control mean that today’s engines burn less fuel while producing fewer emissions, making them not just powerful, but also cleaner and more sustainable.

Who Builds Them: The Two Giants

The commercial jet engine market is dominated by two titans: General Electric (GE Aerospace) and Rolls-Royce. These companies represent decades of engineering brilliance and global competition.

• General Electric (GE Aerospace) is known for engines like the GEnx, which powers the Boeing 787. The GEnx is lighter, quieter, and more fuel-efficient than earlier engines, featuring composite fan blades and advanced materials that withstand extreme heat.

• Rolls-Royce, the British giant, is behind the Trent XWB that powers the Airbus A350. This engine is one of the most efficient large aero engines ever built, designed specifically for long-haul missions. It delivers powerful thrust while sipping fuel at record-low rates, a key reason the A350 is among the most economical planes to operate.

The A350 and 787: Masters of Long-Haul

The Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 are the champions of ocean-crossing travel. Both aircraft were designed from the ground up for efficiency, range, and passenger comfort, and their engines are central to this success.

The Rolls-Royce Trent XWB on the A350 has been called “the world’s most efficient large aero engine.” It provides the thrust needed for flights of up to 18 hours, connecting distant city pairs nonstop.

Rolls-Royce Trent XWB  for  ABus A350

Meanwhile, the GE GEnx on the 787 Dreamliner is 15% more fuel-efficient than its predecessor engines, enabling airlines to open new routes that were once uneconomical. The Dreamliner’s efficiency has reshaped global travel, bringing point-to-point connectivity across oceans.

GE GEnx for 787 

Together, these aircraft show how modern jet engines are not just machines of power but enablers of global connectivity, shrinking continents and cultures into a day’s journey.

The Beating Heart of Aviation

So, what truly makes the airplane cross the oceans? It’s the relentless roar of the jet engine, a perfect blend of physics, fire, and human ingenuity. From the early days of aviation to today’s long-haul giants, the jet engine remains the beating heart of flight. Every time you step aboard an A350 or a 787, you are witnessing the extraordinary story of engines that can transform kerosene into power, thrust, and the promise of a connected world.

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References 

1. Rolls-Royce. Trent XWB: The world’s most efficient large aero engine.
   https://www.rolls-royce.com/products-and-services/civil-aerospace/airlines/trent-xwb.aspx

2. GE Aerospace. GEnx Engine Overview.
   https://www.geaerospace.com/propulsion/commercial/genx

3. Airbus. Airbus A350 Family Aircraft Information.
   https://www.airbus.com/en/products-services/commercial-aircraft/passenger-aircraft/a350-family

4. Boeing. 787 Dreamliner Technical Information.
   https://www.boeing.com/commercial/787

5. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Noise Standards: Aircraft Type and Airworthiness Certification.
   https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/noise/

6. FlightGlobal. Engine specifications and market analysis: Trent XWB vs GEnx.
   https://www.flightglobal.com/engines