More detail on this person: Civilian helicopter
disappearred over the Gulf of Mexico and has not
been found.As longtime friend and neighbor of Jim
Goldthorpe, (Goldie) a member of your
organization, and the oldest active Army chopper
pilot, be advised that Jim's civilian chopper went
down over the Gulf of Mexico a week ago Thursday,
6 Oct. His company is continuing the search but
the Coast Guard has called off the search. No
wreckage or personnel have been found. This information was last updated 05/18/2016
Please send additions or corrections to: HQ@vhpa.org VHPA Headquarters
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Date posted on this site:
05/13/2023
Copyright © 1998 - 2023 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association
From: Mickey Crawford
According to George Larson Goldie flew out to
retrieve 2 repairmen from a rig that is normally
unmanned. When Goldie didn't show up back at
home plate on time, a search was launched,
including a trip to the rig. The two repairmen
weren't on the rig. It's surmised that Goldie
picked the guys up and headed home, but neither
he nor the repairmen nor the acft have been seen
since Goldie departed for the rig. During the
search there was a lot of debris, etc., from
Katrina in the Gulf, so it made it harder to
determine if/where/when the acft had gone into the
water.
Goldie was an OH-58 IP. He was also the main
force behind the 2000 Reunion Committee in
Washington, D. C., a reunion that still stands
out as one of the most memorable in VHPA history.
Goldie was also the impetus behind the formation
of the VHPA National Capital Chapter and was the
initial Chapter President.
To those who knew him, Goldie is sorely missed.
From: Jay Brown
Jim "Goldie" Goldthorpe died on October 6, 2005 in
a helicopter accident in the Gulf of Mexico off
the Louisiana shoreline.
Goldie was a Founding Member of the Combat
Helicopter Pilots Association and was active with
the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association having
served as the Reunion Chairperson for the 2000
VHPA Reunion in Washington, DC. He was
instrumental in the creation of the former
National Capital Chapter of VHPA.
In the military, Goldie was a Chief Warrant
Officer 4 (CW4) and was the oldest, active duty
aviator in the Army until he retired March 31,
2005. His service spans a thirty year period. As
an Army helicopter pilot, he amassed over 7200
hours of flight time, some of which was in a
combat tour of duty in the Vietnam. His other
assignments have included a tour of duty in
Germany as an instructor pilot and pilot in
command for the 22nd Aviation Detachment, a tour
in Korea as an instructor pilot and operations
officer for the 45th Transportation Company, and
various stateside assignments. Although previously
retired, Goldie demonstrated his devotion to duty
and patriotism by volunteering to return to active
duty to assist his country during the latest Iraq
conflict. He was assigned to the Ft. Polk Joint
Readiness Center in Louisiana where he trained
many soldiers and their units for their vital
missions. Throughout his career, he earned more
than 20 medals including the Bronze Star, the
Purple Heart, and 15 Air Medals. Goldie's
exceptional performance and total devotion to duty
were in keeping with the highest traditions of the
service and reflect great credit upon himself and
the United States Army.
The "Goldie" Fund has been created to honor him.
The former National Capital Chapter of VHPA turned
over its treasury as seed money for the Fund. The
Fund, which will be managed by CHPA, will pay for
a Memorial Service and Hospitality Room at the
2006 VHPA reunion in Washington, DC.
Subsequent expenditures will be used to assist
Veterans, particularly Helicopter Veterans, and
honor Goldie and the ideals for which he lived.
Please try to attend the Memorial Service and come
have a drink to toast Goldie. The hospitality will
be on the evening of July 2 and July 3. The Room
number will be posted at the VHPA reunion.
For additional information or to donate to the
Goldie Fund go to www.chpa-us.org and click on
"The Goldie Fund"
From: Wes Moore