Bill Goldfinch
That's the chap; by the time I had tea and the lunch with him he had enquired whether I would like to taxy the seaplane when it was finished. I am not entirely sure it was built to a PFA/LAA approved design but as far as I was concerned whilst on the water it was a boat !!!
They knew that a return (night) trip for a pick up was probably doomed to failure as it was completely dark and his main concern was not having an accurate altimeter setting .As it turned out the change in local pressure at the landing site put them 'well out' and as he put it they hit the sea a mighty wallop and turned over.
He was a real character at Old Sarum; which back then was a delightful place to visit and of course blessed with its original Belfast shed hangars. The problem with aviation is its a 'downhill run' now with fewer classic fields to visit and the 'characters' replaced with 'developers', yellow jackets, crats, and zero vision for the future. People like Bill gave some substance to the location and that's what gave the places a reason to go there (plus a good café) As it is Compton down the road is still well ok.