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Gas turbine engines are a form of internal combustion engines. They work by first by pulling large amounts of air into the front of the engine. This atmospheric air is then compressed to a significantly smaller volume and higher pressure. Once the air has been pressurized, it is fed into the combustion chamber, where fuel is fed into the air before it is ignited. After ignition, this high energy gas is pushed through a turbine where some of its energy is turned into shaft work to power the compressor that was used previously. The remaining energy is finally turned into thrust for the engine as the air leaves at high temperature and velocity. Once the engine is first started, the turbine allows the engine to sustain itself by continually feeding the compressor, making it a cyclical process.