Helicopters Gallery

Belvedere helicopter JLP01_08_062441c

COVENTRY CATHEDRAL, PRIORY STREET, COVENTRY. RAF Belvedere helicopter hovering above tarmac just to the north of Coventry Cathedral, while a serviceman is attaching a hoist to the underside of the helicopter. A Laing worker is watching from the foreground and a crowd can be seen watching from the Pool Meadow Bus Station in the background.
The photograph was taken during Operation Rich Man a joint project involving Royal Air Force staff and Laing staff. This involved a RAF Belvedere helicopter hoisting in to place the 80ft bronze spire on to the new cathedral. The part of the operation to lower the 1/2 ton cross that sits on top of the spire had to be postponed due to windy conditions

© Historic England Archive. John Laing Photographic Collection