Difference between a jet and a air plane?

Question

whats the difference between a jet and a air plane?

Answer 1

Josh-the answer to your question is a jet is a type of airplane that is powered by one or more jet engines.  An airplane can also be powered by a propeller.  This airplane would not be called a jet.

Answer 2

a "jet" is an airplane with gas turbine engines.  an airplane is fixed wing aircraft propelled with eihter reciprocating engines  or gas turbine engines

Answer 3

Your comparisons don't work. An aircraft can either be jet engine driven, or propeller driven.

Answer 4

All jets are airplanes, but not all airplanes are jets.

Though the term "jet" specifically refers to propulsion (i.e. a jet, turbo-jet or fan-jet), it has fallen into common usage in reference to delta or swept-wing configuration, jet-propelled aircraft used in racing or military application.

Although a passenger airliner is jet-powered, it is seldom referred to as a "jet", though technically it is.  The exception to this is the colloquialism "jumbo-jet" which appropriately incorporates the "jet" moniker.

No propeller-driven aircraft of any kind will ever be referred to as a jet because it is not jet powered.

Answer 5

That's a good question but if I had to guess I would say the placement of the engines and the size of the nose. I think airplanes have the bigger noses and have the engines on the wings were as jets have the engines tucked in tight on the tail and narrow noses to cut down on drag and resistance. Just a guess.

Answer 6

All jets are airplanes.  Not all air planes are jets.  Some are propeller-driven

Answer 7

a jet is a aircraft hat is powered by a jet engine or jet turbine.

an airplane is any craft that (is supposed to) flies. It doesn't specify how it flies, but it flies.

so the term jet could mean a 747 jet, which is powered by a jet turbine.

The term airplane could be used on a B25 airplane, which is powered by 4 internal combustion engines, a paper airplane, a glider, a Me183, with is powered by ram jet, or the space shuttle which is powered by rocket engines.

Overall, the term jet is a very narrow way to describe an airplane, but the term airplane is a vague and broad term to describe craft that is supposed to fly (except airships, balloons, ufos, and blimps)

Answer 8

One is an airplane and the other is a jet engine

Answer 9

They are both planes, but I think what you are trying to ascertain is the difference between a "prop job" and a jet.  Basically a prop type plane uses a high speed propeller to blow air over the foil or wing of the plane and also cause the plane to go forward because the wing is shaped so that the air going over the wing has to go further on the top part of the wing, it causes a lifting force.

A jet uses a compressed air jet engine that thrusts the plane forward at incredible speeds when you consider how big some of these aircraft are and how much they weigh.  Most jets are capable of going between 450 and 600 mph, while most prop jobs, including turbo props can attain speeds of up to about 250 mph.   The fastest jet goes up into the outer atmosphere where there is less resistance and can go approximately mach 3 which is approximately 1800 mph.  

Our rockets which take the astronauts into space go between 18 and 25,000 mph.  That sounds impressive, and it is, but it isn't even close to getting us where we need to be for really effective space travel.   For that we'd need to attain something similar to what star trek uses which is warp speed.  Warp factor one is equivalent to the speed of light, or 186,000 miles per second, and therefore a lightyear is equal to how far light travels in one year which is 5,865,696,000,000 miles.   Now if you take into consideration that some systems are 50, 100. even 1000 lightyears away, it give you an idea of just how primative our space program really is.  I know I took this question way beyond what you asked, but I thought you'd find it interesting.

Answer 10

a few million dollars

Answer 11

if you are talking jet like an F-15, that would be a jet. But a Boeing 747 is a jet or an air plane. Sorry, I'm confused.

Answer 12

An airplane can be jet powered so none

Answer 13

The difference is in their methods of propulsion. For the purpose of explaination, in general they have different motors-the jet has a jet engine, while the airplane has a piston-driven engine.

Answer 14

It has become interchangeable terminology. Technically speaking a jet is propelled by a jet engine, an airplane can have any of a variety of propulsion systems.

Answer 15

That's an amazing question, Joshua.  Some of the answers are pretty astonishing, too.

Answer 16

The term "jet" just refers to the type of propulsion in the aircraft in question, mainly a jet engine.

Early aircraft were powered by piston engines, which spun propellers to develop the thrust needed to make the airplane fly (these are similar in form & function to automobile engines).

When jet engines were developed in the 1940's, the aircraft powered by jets were often referred to as "jet planes" to differentiate them from piston-driven aircraft.

Later "jet plane" was shortened to "jet", but a jet is still just as much an airplane as any piston-powered airplane.

Answer 17

Pilgrim says:

"No propeller-driven aircraft of any kind will ever be referred to as a jet because it is not jet powered."

That is absolutely incorrect.  Turbo prop powered aircraft are propelled by a propeller, but the propeller is driven by a turbine engine, coupled to the propeller by a gear reduction system.  We have several types of this aircraft in my industry, and they are quite often referred to as "jets".

Answer 18

an airplane can be a propeller or a jet

but a jet aircraft cannot have a propeller engine