“A little onward lend thy guiding
hand
To these dark steps, a little further
on;”
Milton - Samson Agonistes,
1671
It is suggested that those
wishing to familiarise themselves with the general
history of Pitcher's work consult “Aviation” by C.
H. Gibbs-Smith, HMSO, 1970,
pages 85-90,
and items 1
and 2 in
the references at the end of this paper, although
it should be remembered that this paper amends
some of the information contained in these
sources.
When dealing with famous men in history,
perhaps one of the most persistent and difficult
questions is that of their relative importance. It
is very easy, in a bout of enthusiasm or contempt,
to over- or underestimate the influence that a
person may have had upon his contemporaries. This
applies no less in aeronautics than elsewhere. The
example of Percy Sinclair Pilcher (Fig. 1), the
British gliding pioneer, is a case in
point.
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