“A little onward lend thy guiding handTo these dark steps, a little further on;”Milton - Samson Agonistes, 1671It 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.