George Bruce Bolta New Zealand aviation was a pioneer noted for many firsts. ...

Bolt was born in Dunedin in 1893. He formed the Canterbury Aero Club in 1910, helping making and flying gliders on the Cashmere hills. He used these to take aerial photographs in 1912. Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, located in coastal Otago. ... 1893 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1916 Bolt was hired by pioneer pilot Vivian Walsh as a mechanic at the Walsh Brothers Flying School at Kohimarama . He learnt to fly the brothers Curtiss flying boats and the machines of their own design, including the Walsh brothers Type D, as well as the two Boeing Seaplanes which were the first machines made by that company. Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company went public in 1916 with Glenn Curtiss as president. ... The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) is the leading American aircraft and aerospace manufacturer, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with its largest production facilities in Everett, Washington, near Seattle, Washington. ...

In 1918 he flew Auckland to Wellington non stop (in 5 hours and 16 minutes). He flew New Zealand's first air mail and established an altitude record in 1919. Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest urban area in New Zealand. ... Wellington (Te Whanganui-a-Tara or Poneke) is the capital city of New Zealand and the countrys second-largest urban area. ...

He was an RNZAF and Royal Air Force pilot during World War II, and Chief Engineer of Tasman Empire Airways Limited, (now known as Air New Zealand), from 1944 to 1960, where his experience with the Short Sandringham leead him to play a role in the development of the Short Solent. The Royal New Zealand Air Force or RNZAF is the air operations arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. ... The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the UK Armed Forces. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb. ... Air New Zealand is a major scheduled passenger airline based in Auckland, New Zealand. ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Short Sandringham was an airliner derivative of the Short Sunderland military flying boat. ... The Short Solent was a passenger flying boat produced in the late 1940s, developed from the Short Seaford or Short Sunderland Mark IV military flying boat design, (which was too late to serve in World War II). ...

Several streets and aviation related facilities in various New Zealand cities are named after him, including George Bolt Memorial Drive, the main access road to Auckland International Airport. Auckland International Airport is the largest and busiest international airport of New Zealand. ...

Bolt performed initial research into the achievements of aviation pioneer and inventor Richard Pearse during the late 1950's and early 1960's. Richard William Pearse (3 December 1877 – 29 July 1953) was a New Zealand farmer and inventor who experimented with flying machines in the early 20th century. ...

He recieved an OBE. George Bolt died in 1963, Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions, in decreasing order of seniority: Knight or Dame Grand... 1963 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

External links

• Biography of George B. Bolt
• New Zealand Aviation Pioneers
• National Register of Archives and Manuscripts