Talk:Curtiss A-12 Shrike

"Lower profile"?
I'm not sure about the supposed choice of the radial engine because of it's "lower profile". I've never heard of anything like that, and the only time a radial has a lower profile is from fire directly below (or to the sides). These are always leading (deflection) shots at a moving target, and thus only a lucky shot would hit anyway. The real dangerous fire comes from ahead, the same area where you are shooting at, since you present the enemy with a relatively stationary target from this angle. From the front, an inline actually presents LESS of a target than a radial. I'm pretty sure the major advantage of radials is that they don't have a vulnerable radiator to put out of action with a single bullet, and they are somewhat more tolerant of damage (but only to a certain point). .45Colt 13:52, 6 February 2014 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by .45Colt (talk • contribs)