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Piston Engine

A grey metal piston engine
Credit: National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution

A piston engine provides power to a spinning propeller, which produces thrust by creating a pressure difference between the front and back of the propeller. This Liberty 12 Model A (Lincoln) V-12 engine powered numerous aircraft, including the de Havilland DH-4, the Navy-Curtiss NC-4,Fokker T2, Loening Model 23, Douglas World Cruiser, Douglas M-1 Mailplane, and Curtiss H-16 flying boat.

Categories: Propulsion
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