P-39 Airacobra World War 2 fighter aircraft

The Bell P-39 Airacobra was a peculiar mid-engine WWII fighter aircraft. While it had relatively poor performance at altitudes due to the un-supercharged Allison engine, the Airacobra saw acceptable service in the Pacific theatre as well as the Eastern front when flown by soviet pilots through the lend-lease program. The pilot sat in front of the engine, which drove a shaft under the pilot's feet to the propeller. The reason for this was mainly to fit an Oldsmobile T9 37mm cannon in the nose, si