John Dowling (RAF officer) explained

John Dowling
Nickname:"Mr Helicopter"
Birth Date:5 July 1923
Birth Place:Manchester, England
Death Date:July 2000
Allegiance:United Kingdom
Branch:Royal Air Force
Serviceyears:1941–1978
Rank:Wing Commander
Commands:No. 72 Squadron (1961–62)
Battles:Second World War
Berlin Airlift
Malayan Emergency
Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation
Awards:Member of the Order of the British Empire
Distinguished Flying Cross & Bar
Air Force Cross
Mentioned in Despatches

Wing Commander John Reginald Dowling, (5 July 1923  - July 2000) was a Royal Air Force (RAF) officer and helicopter pilot famous for placing the spire of the rebuilt Coventry Cathedral on 22 April 1962.[1] He was a Lancaster bomber pilot during the Second World War, and the author of RAF Helicopters: The First Twenty Years, a comprehensive overview of the RAF's early helicopters and their uses.

Dowling was born in Withington Manchester, the son of Dr Stephen Dowling and Mrs Kathleen Dowling (née Gilmore). One of four children, he was educated at Ampleforth College and practised Catholicism all of his life.

Notes and References

  1. News: Wing Commander John Dowling . The Telegraph. London . 28 July 2000 . 31 March 2012.