This collage of shots taken at the Air Museum in Ottawa was inspired by the father telling his son about the huge Avro 683 Lancaster X in front of them. The Avro Lancaster was a British four-engine Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force (RAF). It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF and squadrons from other Commonwealth and European countries serving within RAF Bomber Command. The Lanc or Lankie became the most famous and most successful of the Second World War night bombers. It also excelled in many other roles including daylight precision bombing. An important feature of the Lancaster was its extensive bomb bay. The heaviest bombs carried were called Cookies. Towards the end of the war, attacking special and hardened targets, the B I Specials could carry the Tallboy or Grand Slam earthquake bombs. Thank you for your kind comments, and for the connoisseurs I've copied the following: General characteristics Crew: 7: pilot, flight engineer, navigator, bomb aimer, wireless operator, mid-upper and rear gunners Length: 69 ft 5 in (21.18 m) Wingspan: 102 ft (31.09 m) Height: 19 ft 7 in (5.97 m) Wing area: 1,300 ft�² (120 m�²) Empty weight: 36 828 lb (16,705 kg) Loaded weight: 63,000 lb (29,000 kg) Powerplant: 4�� Rolls-Royce Merlin XX V12 engines, 1,280 hp (954 kW) each Performance Maximum speed: 240 kn (280 mph, 450 km/h) at 15,000 ft (5,600 m) Range: 2,700 nmi (3,000 mi, 4,600 km) with minimal bomb load Service ceiling: 23,500 ft (8,160 m) Wing loading: 48 lb/ft�² (240 kg/m�²) Power/mass: 0.082 hp/lb (130 W/kg) Armament Guns: 8�� 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns in three turrets, with variations Bombs: Maximum normal bomb load of 14,000 lb (6,300kg) or 22,000 lb Grand Slam with modifications to bomb bay.