I am deeply conscious of the honour to the New Zealand gliding movement and to myself as its representative to be asked to deliver the First George Bolt Aviation Memorial Lecture. George Bolt was one of the first New Zealanders to construct and fly his own glider in the early years of this century, and for the remainder of his life he retained an intense interest in gliding, even when deeply involved in increasingly complex powered aircraft. He agreed to become the first Chairman of the Technical Committee of the New Zealand Gliding Association, and as such helped the movement in its struggles to get back into the air after the Second World War. It is thanks to him that the Association was established on a sound technical basis, as the first post-war Director of Civil Aviation made it clear that the New Zealand Gliding Association would not be recognised until a competent Technical Committee was formed.