Definition 1 of 2
Definition
An engine-driven air compressor used in a supercharger system to force a greater mass of air into the engine's intake manifold than would enter by natural aspiration alone, allowing the engine to maintain power at higher altitudes where ambient air is less dense.
Plain English
A pump driven by the engine that squeezes outside air and pushes it into the cylinders, so the engine can keep making power even when the air outside is thin.
Context Anchor
Seen in discussions of supercharged piston engines, especially when describing how the engine maintains power as the aircraft climbs.
Derivation
From the everyday word 'blow' — to push air. The compressor 'blows' pressurized air into the engine. Knowing this helps because it reminds you the device is simply forcing air in, not doing anything more exotic.
Why Pilots Care
Enables a piston engine to maintain or increase power at higher altitudes where normal aspiration would otherwise cause power loss.
Analogy
Think of it like a pump helping the engine breathe. The engine can draw in air by itself, but the blower pushes extra air in when normal breathing is not enough.
Intuition Check
A blower is not just a cabin fan or something that moves air around the cockpit. Here, it means the air-compressing part of a supercharger that feeds the engine.
Example Sentence 1
The supercharger's blower compresses incoming air before it reaches the cylinders, helping the engine maintain power at altitude.
Example Sentence 2
The handbook explains that the blower impeller spins faster than crankshaft speed through a step-up gear train.