Abstract: The combustion in the chamber of aero-engine involving the aerodynamics of swirling air streams, fuel atomization, evaporation, the mixing of fuel droplets with air streams, and chemical reactions is a multiphase complex process under the conditions of high pressure and high temperature. The characteristics of the flow field play a significant role in determining combustion performances of the combustors by affecting the processes of fuel atomization and combustion. The interpretations off low mechanism and accurate tests of the highly swirling flows inside the combustors are always being one of the major challenges posed to the combustion researchers and engineers.In order to learn the knowledge of experimental setups of optically accessible gas turbine combustor facilities, and to have a grasp of swirling flow characteristics in swirl-cup traditional combustors and staged combustors combining premixed and diffusion combustion technologies, the design methods of the optically accessible model combustor, the organization mechanism of swirling flow, and the flow structures in typical combustors of aero-engines are analyzed and summarized in this study. The discussions in this paper may facilitate the research and development of aero-engine combustors.