Classic warbirds and other aviation vids.

[LE BARON]

An unusual hybrid… an Avro Lancaster fitted with Canadian Avro Canada Orenda jet engines.

After the World War II, several surplus Lancasters were used as flying testbeds for new aviation technology. In Canada, one aircraft was modified to carry Orenda turbojets beneath the wings so engineers could test the new engines in real flight conditions.

The piston engines of the Lancaster remained in place, while the jet engines were mounted externally in pods. This allowed researchers to gather performance data on the Orenda while the aircraft acted as a stable flying laboratory.

The Orenda engine would later power aircraft such as the Canadair Sabre, becoming one of the most successful early jet engines produced in Canada.

A Lancaster with jet engines hanging beneath its wings certainly looks unusual… but it played a useful role in the rapid development of post-war jet aviation.

 

[LE BARON]

This is an AC-130 gunship, one of the most heavily armed aircraft ever placed into regular service. Developed from the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, the gunship was designed to provide sustained close air support for troops on the ground.

The aircraft carries an impressive array of side-mounted weapons. Earlier versions were equipped with a 20 mm Vulcan cannon, a 40 mm Bofors autocannon, and a 105 mm howitzer mounted toward the rear of the aircraft. By circling a target area in a slow orbit, the gunship could keep its weapons continuously trained on a point below.

This allowed crews to deliver extremely accurate and sustained fire while remaining above the battlefield. The aircraft has been used in several conflicts since the late 1960s, providing close support, convoy protection, and defensive fire for ground forces