Bill Goldfinch has died at the age of 91. He designed and helped built the famous Colditz C0ckglider, which was secretly assembled at the castle POW prison in a long-term and ambitious escape plan.
In recent times, a replica was build and flown at Lasham airfield, and proved to be quite an acceptable design.
Hopefully there will be a full obit in some of the more serious papers, where the passing of these remarkable and colourful veterans is still granted due prominence.
By: Biggles1049 - 31st July 2008 at 13:45
Just to update the thread. I was informed by volunteers at the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum at Flixton that the Amphibian will be joining the Colditz replica glider in the collection sometime in August 2008
By: slicer - 12th October 2007 at 21:50
A very good obituary in the Telegraph today. I just love the idea of there being a book on aerodynamics and aircraft design in the Colditz library ! And then they went ahead and built it. Their imagination is really almost beyond belief. What a fantastic generation is passing on.
RIP
By: Carpetbagger - 12th October 2007 at 10:04
Propstrike beat me to it but here is a slightly more recent picture from the Heritage Open Day.
John
By: Peter Clare - 12th October 2007 at 09:59
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=A1&xml=/news/2007/10/12/db1201.xml
By: Mauld - 11th October 2007 at 22:37
Colditz ****
Short video of replica at IWM London
By: Propstrike - 11th October 2007 at 21:27
Here is the unique amphibian, with ex-Jodel wings and the turned-up tips turned down again. The retractable u/c is hand-cranked.
There is some enthusiasm at Old Sarum to finish the project, as a tribute to Bill
By: Carpetbagger - 11th October 2007 at 19:03
Didn’t realise who he was until the mention of the amphibian at Old Sarum.
I was lucky enough to see said aircraft on one of the heritage open day tours on 8th September. I’ve got some pictures of it on my home PC if anyone’s interested.
I didn’t have a chance to talk to him but reading this I now wish I had.
He did seem fairly pleased at the time as they had just built an exhaust for it, the plan was to hopefully have it flying next year. I wonder if it will ever happen now?
John
By: low'n'slow - 11th October 2007 at 18:40
No, you can’t get away with covering your Luton with duvet covers and claiming its a Colditz replica! 😀
A little more on Bill Goldfinch and the Colditz glider story on www.lutonminor.com if anyone’s interested
By: G-ASEA - 11th October 2007 at 16:50
There where two Colditz gliders built, that i know of. The one that the IWM has and the one in the Norfolk and Suffork museum. This one was flown by the late John Lee, who made many of the parts . There is another one being built in the UK. I believe this will be flown as my father has over seen some of the work. Al these gliders have only one seat, not the two as the orginal had. The rear seat was facing backwards.
By: James D - 11th October 2007 at 14:32
Theres a replica at Colditz too.
By: adrian_gray - 11th October 2007 at 14:03
The replica glider is now at the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum….
That is good to see – the last time I saw it, it was right at the far end of a hanger at Duxford. I’d not have even noticed it if it hadn’t been for the distinctive fabric.
Will you go and correct my post over on GWF, or shall I? :diablo:
Adrian
By: Ant.H - 11th October 2007 at 14:00
I’m sorry to add that another ‘Old Colditzian’, Major Ken Lockwood passed away on Monday at the age of 95.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/news/2007/10/10/db1001.xml
By: low'n'slow - 11th October 2007 at 13:55
The replica glider is now at the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum….
By: James D - 11th October 2007 at 11:23
COlditz is well worth a visit if you are ever in the area. Great museum, interesting tour with some very amusing stories and really, just walking round that courtyard is worth the trip.
By: T6flyer - 11th October 2007 at 10:51
I only met him a few weeks ago when we took the Austers to Middle Wallop and stayed overnight at Old Sarum. I for one, didnt realise that he had done so much.
Martin
By: Propstrike - 11th October 2007 at 09:31
Well ,there’s a thing. Now I look at the lines of the **** ( unprintable design that rhymes with sock) I can see some Luton heritage, especially the fin.
I never thought of using a bathtub full of rubble to get my Luton airborne, but frankly, any help would have been welcome!
By: low'n'slow - 11th October 2007 at 09:08
Sad news.
Well into his ninth decade, he was still enthusiastically working on his self-designed, home-built amphibian in the hangar at Old Sarum.
He once broke off from his work on “the boat” to talk Luton Minors. He’d started to build a Minor from the original plans in 1938, as well as owning a Chrislea Airguard, G-AFIN, but of course war and the RAF intervened.
He became a PoW after his Sunderland flying boat capsised after hitting submerged object while landing off Crete. He was moved to Colditz after proving a keen tunneller at his previous accommodation!
When he and Jack Best hatched the glider scheme in Colditz, the design was largely based on a book of aerodynamics found in the prison library, along with his memory of the Luton plans. Minus of course the engine and with a passenger seated inside the fuselage behind the pilot!
Bill then bought a set of post-war Luton plans and finally completed his own example in 1970. He was clearly delighted to hear that G-AYDY was under restoration to fly again in the near future.
A remarkable man. And a true enthusiast of flying, for flying’s sake.
Happy landings Bill.
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October 10, 2007 at 9:36 pm