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Aviation glossary

Pylon

Also: engine pylon, engine strut

Engines

Structure that attaches an engine to the aircraft, usually beneath the wing, and carries its thrust as well as fuel lines, wiring and bleed air ducts.

What it is

A pylon is much more than a bracket. It carries the engine's thrust and weight into the aircraft structure, absorbs vibration and houses the fuel lines, electrical wiring, hydraulic pipes and the ducts that bring bleed air from the engine for pressurisation and air conditioning. Its fairing is shaped to disturb the airflow over the wing as little as possible.

The pylon also decides where the engine sits. When larger-fan engines are fitted to an existing model, a new pylon is often needed to move the engine further forward and higher to preserve ground clearance. On aircraft with rear-mounted engines, such as the Bombardier CRJ and the Embraer ERJ 145, the pylon projects from the side of the rear fuselage.

On Vuelopedia

Bombardier CRJ Embraer ERJ 135 / 145

Related terms

NacelleStreamlined housing around an aircraft engine that brings together the air intake, access cowlings, thrust reverser and exhaust nozzle. WingSurface that generates the lift needed for flight; on airliners it usually also holds much of the fuel and carries the engines. TurbofanJet engine in which a large front fan drives air around the core, producing most of the thrust with greater efficiency and less noise. PressurisationSystem that keeps the air pressure inside an aircraft higher than outside, so that passengers and crew can breathe normally at high altitude.
Whole glossary

Cite

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This page was last updated on October 9, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). Pylon. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/pylon

MLA

“Pylon.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/pylon. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Pylon.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/pylon.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Pylon. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/pylon (Accessed: 16 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_pylon,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Pylon}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-09},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/pylon},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/pylon}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-16},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/pylon |title=Pylon |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}

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