Not just a preference for piston engines, but radial piston engines. They are more reliable than inlines (note how virtually every carrier plane in WWII used a radial engine*). Also, being air-cooled instead of liquid-cooled, it doesn't require a radiator and thus is less vulnerable to battle-damage (a single bullet can knock out an inline engine -- it's very difficult for a single bullet to knock out a radial engine).
Crop dusters are useful for conversions to emergency ground attack aircraft. They are fairly common, nimble, and have a useful payload capacity.
Last edited by copeab; 06-27-2010 at 06:22 AM.
Reason: changed "ground effect" to "ground attack"
|