George Lee

Who is George Lee?

Douglas George Lee MBE is a glider pilot who was world gliding champion on three consecutive occasions.

He was born in Dublin, Ireland. He joined the Royal Air Force as an engineering apprentice at the age of sixteen in 1962, becoming a British subject. He completed his training as an electrical fitter and in 1967 he was selected for officer and pilot training. He joined an operational squadron in 1971 flying Phantoms. He left the RAF in 1983 as a Squadron Leader and joined Cathay Pacific to fly Boeing 747s.

During his apprenticeship he began gliding with the Royal Air Force Gliding & Soaring Association, winning his first British National Championship in 1974 in an ASW17. He was selected for the British Team for the World Gliding Championships at Räyskälä in Finland in 1976 and won the Open Class in an ASW17. He then won the following two World Championships at Châteauroux in France 1978 and at Paderborn in Germany 1981 in a Nimbus-3, becoming the first person to win three successive World Championships titles. He flew in two more World Championships but his home in Hong Kong had reduced his opportunities for gliding and so he was out of practice.