Definition
A combustion method, used in gas turbine engines, in which fuel and air are burned in a steady, uninterrupted flame inside the combustion chamber while the engine is running. Unlike a piston engine, which fires fuel in separate, repeated bursts (one cylinder at a time), a turbine keeps the flame lit continuously and feeds a constant stream of fuel and air through it.
Plain English
The flame inside a jet engine never goes out while the engine is running. Fuel and air keep flowing in, and burning happens nonstop, instead of in separate little explosions like in a car engine.
Context Anchor
Seen in gas turbine engine descriptions, especially when comparing how turbine engines make power versus piston engines.
Derivation
Continuous comes from the Latin continuus, meaning 'uninterrupted' or 'unbroken.' Combustion comes from the Latin comburere, 'to burn up.' Together: burning that does not stop. This is the key contrast with a piston engine, where combustion is intermittent.
Why Pilots Care
It explains why turbine engines deliver smooth, uninterrupted power and need different starting and fuel-management procedures than piston engines.
Analogy
A piston engine is like a series of small, repeating explosions, similar to a string of firecrackers going off one after another. A turbine engine is more like a steadily burning gas stove flame -- once lit, it just keeps burning as long as fuel and air are supplied.
Grounding Statement
The flame stays lit and stable while air and fuel keep flowing through it.
Intuition Check
Do not read “continuous” as meaning the whole engine is on fire. Here it means the burning happens steadily in the combustion section, instead of in separate bursts.
Example Sentence 1
Because a turbine relies on a continuous combustion process, the pilot's main job during start is to confirm a successful light-off and then monitor that the flame stays lit.
Example Sentence 2
The continuous combustion process keeps the turbine spinning at a steady RPM once the engine reaches idle.