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There are actually three different types of engines that power most flying machines. Piston engines don’t produce thrust directly; they provide the power to help a propeller spin, and the propeller creates the thrust. Jet engines create thrust by increasing the pressure inside of the engine, and this pressure acting on the internal surfaces of the engine pushes the engine forward. Rocket engines do the same thing jet engines do, but unlike a jet or piston engine, rocket engines don’t need the air to work.