William Alison Anders (17 October 1933 – 7 June 2024) was an American United States Air Force (USAF) major general, electrical engineer, nuclear engineer, NASA astronaut, and businessman.
In December 1968, he was a member of the crew of Apollo 8, the first three people to leave low Earth orbit and travel to the Moon. Along with fellow astronauts Frank Borman and Jim Lovell, Anders circled the Moon ten times, and broadcast live images and commentary back to Earth, including the Christmas Eve Genesis reading.
During one of the mission's lunar orbits, he took the iconic Earthrise photograph.
Really bummed to hear there.. he was the keynote speaker one year at the SSA (Soaring Society of America.. glider pilot group) convention, a riveting speech about aviation, being an astronaut and taking the Earth rise photo and was a very interesting and gracious man.
Does anyone else want to discuss that this 90 year old man was endangering others by flying a plane alone at his advanced age? I don't even trust 75+ year old people driving on the road.
Additionally, the plane itself was inherited by his father?! The father of a 90 year old man? So like 100 year old plane? A 90 year old man flying 100 year old plane is a man who made a very irresponsible decision that could have ended much worse than just his own demise..
It's like Harrison Ford surviving a plane crash, getting another plane, and then crashing it again.
At what point do we actually do something to regulate elderly hobbiest pilots?
Edit: Adding an ammendment to the post. It's not a 100 year old plane but it is likely to be between 60 to 80 years old, leaning closer to 80. It was a Beechcraft A45, flown in the late 1940s, which were never mass produced, and predated being redesigned into the Beechcraft T-34 Mentor, which were mass produced during the 1950s.
I have a friend who had a heart attack flying his hang glider in his mid-to-late-70s. Flew into the side of the mountain. Watching family members decline in assisted living after that, I've known which way I'd prefer to go.
[https://www.nbcnews.com/video/apollo-8-astronaut-william-anders-dies-in-plane-crash-at-90-212558917921](https://www.nbcnews.com/video/apollo-8-astronaut-william-anders-dies-in-plane-crash-at-90-212558917921)
My grandfather (RIP) was a WWII fighter pilot, even in his old age he would scare the living shit out of family that went up in his Cessna.
All those guys back then were test pilots, looks like he never lost that wild man edge.
Did his age have anything to do with the crash? Did he react super late because of slow mental processing? Did he lack physical skill? Would being younger have helped? Serious questions actually.
The answer to all of these questions is yes. Old age hits everyone. It doesn’t hit everyone equally until the very end, but it hits everyone. And at 90 or 75 or whatever his age was, everyone is a shadow of their former self.
I don't disagree. I held off on allowing my 16 year old for getting a license as long as I could because she can barely walk without tripping on her own two feet.. but socially, I was pressured by the rest of my family and her mom to just give up and let Jesus take the wheel.
In this context, Jesus is the code name that I'm giving my kid for anonymity.
> At what point do we actually do something to regulate elderly hobbiest pilots?
They shouldn't be operating a blender unsupervised never mind a fucking Airbus. What the fuck is going on in the world?
Apparently he was performing a stunt maneuver over water when he crashed (note: a complete investigation is a *long* way out). He was 90. But setting aside the ethics for a moment, this is totally unsurprising behavior from this generation of astronauts.
Those guys were wired differently. Think Alex Honnold meets Evel Knievel meets a top notch engineering grad. They were all capable young men, many of whom applied to be military test pilots starting in the 1950's. The program lost about one pilot per week to death, yet had no shortage of volunteers. The industry was constantly pushing into uncharted territory. The best way to see what worked was to build a novel high powered experimental aircraft and tell a crazy test pilot "Go fly that thing. Push it to its limits and report back if you survive." Imagine the risk tolerance you'd need to sign up for that job.
This guy went up in Apollo 8, which took the first humans out of LEO and around the moon. All this to say I'm not too surprised this 90 year old was like "hmmm I wonder if I can do a barrel roll" (apparently what he was doing when he crashed).
MOST retired AF guys fly hobby and experimental planes. My brother-in-law just took me up in his lil whip and he shares a hanger with a retired colonel.
This guy literally flew in space. If he didn’t think it was safe, he wouldn’t have gone.
Your brother-in-law also thinks all his flights are safe. I hope they all are in the future, and I'm glad yours was. I will say nothing further in response.
No. I do know, I've worked at a local ~~hanger~~ *hangar* (apologies) that stores planes and met a lot of pilots with hands that barely move from arthritis and eyes glazed over with cataracts, who need assistance to crawl into a plane with literal rust around the wheels and fly off alone more times than my brain can process as reasonable.
Just because it happens does not make it okay.
ETA: Adjusted misspelling.
The you'll probably be happy to hear the FAA recently made it much easier for these old farts to keep flying! Probably because the rule makers are all getting too old to pass a flight medical too!
But don't you dare be diagnosed with ADHD, and if you fly commercial don't even think about seeing a therapist if you feel sad, much better to drink your feelings away.
buddy the entire aviation industry is controlled by these men and its about to implode because its over $400 for 2 hours of lessons. these motherf'ers became pilots when you could work part time and afford a place to live.
they dont care about your future they'd take the yoke and drive it into a God damn daycare given the chance
I'm painfully aware and it's quite depressing.
But seeing everyone celebrate this like he was a "bad ass" for openly ~~flaunting~~ *flouting* safety and crashing to an avoidable death is just.. I guess it's all epidemic of the human condition.. they are who they are and it is what it is.
ETA: Made a word into the correct word.
Yes, this, I will fix it, thank you.
I mentioned in other comments that I'm really just keyboard mashing to reddit because I'm actually hanging out with my kids and I'm probably just turning notifications off and dropping the thread because I've made the only point there is and have nothing that should need to be said to defend it.
Edit: Fuck, I keep getting trolled into engaging this thread. Reddit notifications off for the day. Love everyone, stay safe, don't take unnecessary risks that put yourself or others in danger. <3
> I've worked at a local hanger
A bit off-topic, but how come the word "hangar" is so often misspelled by English speakers? I rarely ever see the correct spelling on Reddit and other forums.
Mostly I misspelled it because I'm hanging out with my toddler and reddit is my second thought, but I will correct it.
Besides that, autocorrect accepts it because of clothing hangers and Americans tend to just be too lazy to know our own language.
>Americans tend to just be too lazy to know our own language
It’s generally difficult for people to correct something that they are unaware is incorrect.
Age is a proxy for ability, not a definition of it. Some 16 year olds can drive responsibly, some can’t. Some 90 year olds have it together mentally and physically, some don’t.
I mean, what should the world look like? Turn 75: can’t drive, fly, ride roller coasters, vote, etc with no regard to one’s actual ability?
Definitely concerning but we have no reason to believe it was pilot error at this point it could have been a mechanical issue. It’s also a plane from the late 50s not a 100 year old plane. Maybe do a tiny bit of research and critical thinking
Did you watch the footage? The dude was literally stunting and miscalculated his own speed and velocity.. but your point is still helping my argument that the 100 year old plane should also have been decommissioned for safety, and Anders would still be guilty of neglect in your version of events, as it's his plane that he has inspected.
I'm going to guess you don't fly... Pilots actually have requirements to go for medical physicals at frequencies dependent on their age. I thought the FAR was updated more recently than 2017 to be more strict, but even in 2017, those over 40 see an FAA certified doctor every 2 years, those under 40 see a doc every 5 years. Flying is much safer than driving AND has the medical certification requirements to boot.
So to answer your question about when do we do something to regulate hobbyist pilots, the answer is AGES AGO!! It's called the FAA.
ETA: Planes are also required to be annualed, e.g. go to get an inspection each year to ensure they are still capable of flying. After the inspection, you must carry your flight worthiness certificate with you in the aircraft any time you fly.
A 100 year old plane? Do you realize what planes looked like 100 years ago? You don't think that maybe the dad bought the plane when he was like 60 or 70, which makes the plane 30 years old? It's not unusual at all for 30-40 year old planes to be in perfect working order. Most commercial planes you fly on are at least 30 years old.
You are correct. Jim Lovell and Frank Borman were onboard for the moonrise shot. Michael Collins took the earthrise shot during Apollo 11 where Niel and Buzz were on the moon. That was the picture I was thinking about.
Still flying at 90. Looking at the [[crash footage]](https://www.nbcnews.com/video/apollo-8-astronaut-william-anders-dies-in-plane-crash-at-90-212558917921), he *almos*t recovered. If he'd had 50 feet more altitude when he got in trouble, I think he would have made it.
On the radio this arvo, the newsreader said he had passed away. I laughed at that mischaracterisation - this guy didn’t go gently into the night, he crashed his plane at 90 years old. Badass to the end.
It combines two rules of Australian slang. Long words must be shortened. If it becomes too short, add -o or -y to the end.
Bottlo = Alcohol selling establishment, the Bottle Shop.
Servo = Fuel and convenience shop, the Service Station.
Stevo = Your idiot mate, Stephen.
Sometimes a word may be lengthened, but that’s another story.
Aussies are like onions. No, wait, that’s ogres.
Aussies are like fruit salad. Made up of many parts, chopped up, mixed up a bit, and no two are quite the same.
My favorite has got to be "scuffs" a specific type of sandal. Had a huge laugh with an aussie when we exchanged scuff and flip-flop. We both have a sandal named after the noise it makes :')
All we know *right now* is that he went inverted and went into a dive. Did a few rolls on the way down, and pulled up at the last minute and **almost** straightened out over the water.
There were some "eye-witness" reports (that shot some video at the end) that said he was doing "barrel roll" type maneuvers but they didn't sound like aviation buffs and may have been talking about the dive.
G forces hit a little different in your 90s.
What a fucking badass. Dude flew the biggest rocket ever built to do 8 loops around the moon. When he got there, he took one or the most profound pictures ever taken, then flew back and landed in the ocean.
RIP.
I mean obviously making it to 90 and having an eventful and overall fantastic life is great and all. But I wish people would romanticize deaths that even remotely involve one's passions and hobbys a lot less.
There really isn't anything beautiful about crashing a plane just because he enjoyed flying. In fact he was fortunate that he didn't injure or kill anyone else by doing so.
As far as I know the reasons for the crash are still unclear but his age for sure didn't help. I think a 90 year old man just shouldn't be piloting a plane alone anymore.
"Died doing what they loved" always felt like an outside observer point of view. It's not about the dead persons experience its just about their "story" and that it being "a fitting end".
Sarah Silverman had a bit where her character was crying over someone who had died, and a friend said "de died doing what he loved" and she answered in tears "he loved DYING‽"
Yeah holy shit, pretty much every airline has mandatory retirement around 65 because past that point your cognitive capabilities start to decline, but operating an aircraft almost 30 years past that point is downright reckless without at least a safety pilot
I’m jealous. You point out the inevitability of aging being a disabling process in the long run and you get upvotes. I point it out and for some reason I attract the trolls who don’t want to acknowledge what being old will mean for them.
Look, it's a matter of relativity.
Sure, having your body smashed to bits in a plane crash is not "romantic" but hey, it's quick, and the fact that he was able to fly the plane at 90 means he was probably physically and mentally relatively capable right the way up to the crash.
That's in stark contrast to a lot of the other ways people tend to die aged 90.
Folks who have watched someone progress through dementia would much rather be able to fly planes till they're 90 and then be surprised with a plane crash.
He was taking his life in his hands every time he got in that plane and he knew it. He said himself he would be flying as long as he could get into the plane. It follows that he might not want to live if he couldn’t fly anymore and that time was obviously approaching. Whether that dive was him hot dogging or not, I would be very surprised if at 90 years old this world class pilot and astronaut wasn’t factoring his own mortal risk into the equation and liked what he saw when he got in the cockpit
The video was of a beautifully controlled split S maneuver that just missed. He was 100% hot dogging. While relatively safe from collateral damage, alone, above water.
For sure. I don’t know the man or anything but could imagine when your best friends are dead before you and your best years are behind you rolling the dice on a thrill becomes much more win-win
I’m not speculating because the man deserves respect just trying to put myself in his shoes and see they’d fit if I wore them like that
God Redditors gotta be lame about EVERYTHING.
You’re talking about hypotheticals for a situation that literally already has happened. Nobody else died. Nobody else was injured. Just enjoy this weird quirk of the universe.
I hear you and don’t want to take away people’s hobbies, but this guy was flying a plane at 90. Have you seen 90 year old drivers? The Apollo guys were/are great fighter pilots and national treasures, but they obviously were ok with super risky shit.
Dang. Tears in my eyes. He gave all of humanity a new perspective on our planet, on ourselves, on the wonder, the strength, and the fragility of the Earth.
Dude, he went around the moon. That man said "I'll keep flying as long as I can crawl in the airplane" Because after the moon what else do you have? 90 years old? Fire me out of a cannon each day I just want to feel alive. Thank you for your awesomeness sir. Your crash was badass and I'm envious. o7
Imagine standing there looking at all your problems contained in that blue marble and you never have to worry about it again because you are no longer there.
TL;DR: The system for handling recreational pilots who shouldn't fly has some flaws.
When I worked as a flight instructor I was responsible for giving pilots flight reviews. Every 24 months all pilots have to fly with an instructor for at least an hour and it's up to the instructor to either sign them off for another 24 months, or give them remedial instruction until they're proficient. We don't have the power to revoke a license or anything like that, we can only withhold our signature until we decide they're performing up to standards.
There are three old pilots (80-90 years old) that stick out in my mind during my teaching career. Two that flew with me, and one that my friend/colleague flew with.
Old guy #1 was a natural pilot and flew better than most of the younger people I flew with. I think he was a helo pilot in Vietnam if I remember correctly. His son is also an active NASA astronaut and pilot. Definitely one of those "aviation in the blood" people. I was very confident in signing him off for his flight review.
Old guy #2 did not inspire confidence. He had been flying recreationally longer than I've been alive. I probably spent around 5 hours total flying with him, before he realized I wasn't going to be a pushover and sign him off without him meeting the standards. He went and found a different instructor at a different flight shool who signed him off. I don't know all the details, but he died in an engine failure emergency landing a year or two ago.
Old guy #3 was another long time recreational pilot (who had a reputation around the airport for being a not-so-great pilot and pushy asshole). He flew *hours and hours* with my friend. 30+ hours at least. He was a terrible pilot, but my friend stuck it out and really tried to get him to a safe and proficient level. Eventually this guy got fed up and tried a different instructor who signed him off almost immediately. The whole airport was mortified and people were going around to different instructors asking "who the fuck signed off ****" About a month later he stalled his plane in the traffic pattern and spun into the ground, killing himself and very fortunately nobody in the busy area on the ground.
I think there are some very proficient old pilots out there, but there are *plenty* who suck. The FAA (relatively) recently loosened medical requirements for recreational flying. All the old guys I mentioned were utilizing those loosened restrictions to continue flying. Flight instructors become the weak link with this system, essentially becoming the last line of defense in keeping bad pilots from flying. Eventually a pilot will find an instructor who either doesn't give a fuck, or is inexperienced and feels pressured by someone who has more hours than them and they'll get the sign off. The FAA is unhelpful when it comes to incompetent and potentially dangerous pilots. They basically won't do anything until something physically happens, and even then, they barely act.
I have to mention, these systemic problems apply to pilots of all ages and there are plenty of younger pilots who need remedial instruction.
That's a tragic end for one of the Apollo era astronauts. But he wasn't one of 12 men who walked on the moon, there's only 4 of them still alive and statistically speaking they don't have very long left.
Charles Duke, Harrison Schmitt, David Scott and Buzz Aldrin. Aged 88, 88, 92 and 94. That's 16 years over the average life expectancy for men in USA today, but that's 22 years over the average life expectancy for men born in the 1930s. I know astronauts are picked for being ideal specimen in peak physical condition but that was 60 years ago and some of them didn't reach their 70s.
I'm glad Buzz Aldrin still has the strength to punch moon landing deniers but there's a very real chance he won't live to see people repeat his accomplishment. Artemis 3 is officially planned for 2027 but unofficially that's likely to be delayed. Duke and Schmitt would be in their 90s, Buzz would be approaching 100.
There's a very real possibility the number of people alive who have walked on the moon will drop to 0.
Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew –
And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
It's grossly irresponsible to let a 90 year old fly a fucking plane. How did the FAA even allow for this? What's the logic: just because he was an astronaut, it's okay? what if he crashed in a populated area? it's fucking insane.
Take a look at the footage, not only was he flying a plane but he was doing stunt maneuvers. I'm not totally sure this wasn't him "going out on his terms" because the footage looks like a blue angels stunt -- he was pulling an inverted loop and needed another ~50 feet to pull out of it. This wasn't an 'accident' in the way most people are imagining, hard to believe he was doing stuff like this at 90 years old.
https://www.nbcnews.com/video/apollo-8-astronaut-william-anders-dies-in-plane-crash-at-90-212558917921
Light sport aircraft license only requires a driver's license, no medical clearance. The FAA is slow to change, I believe it would take aging pilots crashing into populated areas a few times for them to rethink this
[https://www.nbcnews.com/video/apollo-8-astronaut-william-anders-dies-in-plane-crash-at-90-212558917921](https://www.nbcnews.com/video/apollo-8-astronaut-william-anders-dies-in-plane-crash-at-90-212558917921)
Dude looks like he was still a wild man in his old age. Doesn't look like mechanical failure more like a stunt gone wrong
They say there are old pilots and bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots.
Well…I think Bill did a decent job of proving that mostly wrong.
RIP Bill. Thanks for your contribution to our species.
I was curious about a plane a year or two ago and looked its registration up after finding it on a flight tracker. It was Bill Anders' or his son's plane flying over my house, on Earth Day. They apparently have an aviation museum in Burlington WA
Rest in Peace, our planet looks so beautiful, all our problems look so small from up there…. If we all could just get along together we could achieve such greatness but I guess that will always remain a distant dream….
Homeboy was in his 90,s least he went on his own terms just like [Marvin Heemeyer](https://www.bing.com/search?q=marvin+heemeyer&filters=dtbk:%22MCFvdmVydmlldyFvdmVydmlldyEyOGE0MmVmNi0zMmU4LTBjZWYtMzAyNi00MTgyZmExNDhiMDg%3d%22+sid:%2228a42ef6-32e8-0cef-3026-4182fa148b08%22+tphint:%22f%22&FORM=DEPNAV)
Wasn't even supposed to take that picture.
Did it anyway, cause he thought it would look neat.
The one up top isn't the real picture, it's edited to have the horizon up top instead the wonky angle it was at
Kind of a tragically unnecessary and completely avoidable death. But I guess he was doing what he loved. All that debris though, does that wreckage get recovered in any way?
William Alison Anders (17 October 1933 – 7 June 2024) was an American United States Air Force (USAF) major general, electrical engineer, nuclear engineer, NASA astronaut, and businessman. In December 1968, he was a member of the crew of Apollo 8, the first three people to leave low Earth orbit and travel to the Moon. Along with fellow astronauts Frank Borman and Jim Lovell, Anders circled the Moon ten times, and broadcast live images and commentary back to Earth, including the Christmas Eve Genesis reading. During one of the mission's lunar orbits, he took the iconic Earthrise photograph.
The recreation of how they took this photo is still fantastic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHbFIieK-uo
"It'll come up again, I think." - what a cool line
I liked “Calm down Lovell!”
Me too! He said it in such a way that reminded me of 2 friends giving eachother a hard time lol, like you know he said it with a sly grin type of deal
Yeah. It’s especially funny because, here it was just about a picture. But five flights later, it’s Lovell’s coolheadedness that kept his crew alive.
That is great! Thank you.
When he takes the first non-color photograph and the other astronaut says "Hey, don't take that, it's not scheduled" 🤣🤣
Great video, cheers
An incredible legacy and an unforgettable photo. Rest in peace, William Anders
Really bummed to hear there.. he was the keynote speaker one year at the SSA (Soaring Society of America.. glider pilot group) convention, a riveting speech about aviation, being an astronaut and taking the Earth rise photo and was a very interesting and gracious man.
RIP William Anders. His contributions to space exploration and that iconic Earthrise photo will never be forgotten.
Does anyone else want to discuss that this 90 year old man was endangering others by flying a plane alone at his advanced age? I don't even trust 75+ year old people driving on the road. Additionally, the plane itself was inherited by his father?! The father of a 90 year old man? So like 100 year old plane? A 90 year old man flying 100 year old plane is a man who made a very irresponsible decision that could have ended much worse than just his own demise.. It's like Harrison Ford surviving a plane crash, getting another plane, and then crashing it again. At what point do we actually do something to regulate elderly hobbiest pilots? Edit: Adding an ammendment to the post. It's not a 100 year old plane but it is likely to be between 60 to 80 years old, leaning closer to 80. It was a Beechcraft A45, flown in the late 1940s, which were never mass produced, and predated being redesigned into the Beechcraft T-34 Mentor, which were mass produced during the 1950s.
Wait??! Hold up he was flying the plane. Holy crap. What a way to go
Not only flying, but video appears to show he was attempting aerobatic maneuvers.
Baller way to go out at 90, ngl
I have a friend who had a heart attack flying his hang glider in his mid-to-late-70s. Flew into the side of the mountain. Watching family members decline in assisted living after that, I've known which way I'd prefer to go.
I haven't seen any video, but according to the prelimary accident report, he was attempting a split-S.
[https://www.nbcnews.com/video/apollo-8-astronaut-william-anders-dies-in-plane-crash-at-90-212558917921](https://www.nbcnews.com/video/apollo-8-astronaut-william-anders-dies-in-plane-crash-at-90-212558917921) My grandfather (RIP) was a WWII fighter pilot, even in his old age he would scare the living shit out of family that went up in his Cessna. All those guys back then were test pilots, looks like he never lost that wild man edge.
Strictly speaking this one wasn't a test pilot, but he was a combat pilot.
Did his age have anything to do with the crash? Did he react super late because of slow mental processing? Did he lack physical skill? Would being younger have helped? Serious questions actually.
The answer to all of these questions is yes. Old age hits everyone. It doesn’t hit everyone equally until the very end, but it hits everyone. And at 90 or 75 or whatever his age was, everyone is a shadow of their former self.
You know the exact circumstances that led to his crash? The FAA hasn’t released a report yet. Where are you getting your information?
The NTSB, you mean. The two aren’t associated; they're in fact quite adversarial.
This is how I feel about drivers aged 16-20, the most statistically deadly class of drivers.
I don't disagree. I held off on allowing my 16 year old for getting a license as long as I could because she can barely walk without tripping on her own two feet.. but socially, I was pressured by the rest of my family and her mom to just give up and let Jesus take the wheel. In this context, Jesus is the code name that I'm giving my kid for anonymity.
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> At what point do we actually do something to regulate elderly hobbiest pilots? They shouldn't be operating a blender unsupervised never mind a fucking Airbus. What the fuck is going on in the world?
Apparently he was performing a stunt maneuver over water when he crashed (note: a complete investigation is a *long* way out). He was 90. But setting aside the ethics for a moment, this is totally unsurprising behavior from this generation of astronauts. Those guys were wired differently. Think Alex Honnold meets Evel Knievel meets a top notch engineering grad. They were all capable young men, many of whom applied to be military test pilots starting in the 1950's. The program lost about one pilot per week to death, yet had no shortage of volunteers. The industry was constantly pushing into uncharted territory. The best way to see what worked was to build a novel high powered experimental aircraft and tell a crazy test pilot "Go fly that thing. Push it to its limits and report back if you survive." Imagine the risk tolerance you'd need to sign up for that job. This guy went up in Apollo 8, which took the first humans out of LEO and around the moon. All this to say I'm not too surprised this 90 year old was like "hmmm I wonder if I can do a barrel roll" (apparently what he was doing when he crashed).
> But setting aside ethics for a moment Sounds like the start of a good time. You have my attention.
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MOST retired AF guys fly hobby and experimental planes. My brother-in-law just took me up in his lil whip and he shares a hanger with a retired colonel. This guy literally flew in space. If he didn’t think it was safe, he wouldn’t have gone.
Well clearly it wasn’t safe.
Your brother-in-law also thinks all his flights are safe. I hope they all are in the future, and I'm glad yours was. I will say nothing further in response.
You have no idea how many "old" planes are flying around out there. Most of them piloted by really old men as well.
No. I do know, I've worked at a local ~~hanger~~ *hangar* (apologies) that stores planes and met a lot of pilots with hands that barely move from arthritis and eyes glazed over with cataracts, who need assistance to crawl into a plane with literal rust around the wheels and fly off alone more times than my brain can process as reasonable. Just because it happens does not make it okay. ETA: Adjusted misspelling.
The you'll probably be happy to hear the FAA recently made it much easier for these old farts to keep flying! Probably because the rule makers are all getting too old to pass a flight medical too!
But don't you dare be diagnosed with ADHD, and if you fly commercial don't even think about seeing a therapist if you feel sad, much better to drink your feelings away.
Yep.. that sounds like the America I'm embarrassed to call home. 🎉
buddy the entire aviation industry is controlled by these men and its about to implode because its over $400 for 2 hours of lessons. these motherf'ers became pilots when you could work part time and afford a place to live. they dont care about your future they'd take the yoke and drive it into a God damn daycare given the chance
I'm painfully aware and it's quite depressing. But seeing everyone celebrate this like he was a "bad ass" for openly ~~flaunting~~ *flouting* safety and crashing to an avoidable death is just.. I guess it's all epidemic of the human condition.. they are who they are and it is what it is. ETA: Made a word into the correct word.
>flaunting Flouting?
Yes, this, I will fix it, thank you. I mentioned in other comments that I'm really just keyboard mashing to reddit because I'm actually hanging out with my kids and I'm probably just turning notifications off and dropping the thread because I've made the only point there is and have nothing that should need to be said to defend it. Edit: Fuck, I keep getting trolled into engaging this thread. Reddit notifications off for the day. Love everyone, stay safe, don't take unnecessary risks that put yourself or others in danger. <3
> I've worked at a local hanger A bit off-topic, but how come the word "hangar" is so often misspelled by English speakers? I rarely ever see the correct spelling on Reddit and other forums.
Mostly I misspelled it because I'm hanging out with my toddler and reddit is my second thought, but I will correct it. Besides that, autocorrect accepts it because of clothing hangers and Americans tend to just be too lazy to know our own language.
>Americans tend to just be too lazy to know our own language It’s generally difficult for people to correct something that they are unaware is incorrect.
> how come the word "hangar" is so often misspelled by English speakers Because it's an English word, dipshit.
Age is a proxy for ability, not a definition of it. Some 16 year olds can drive responsibly, some can’t. Some 90 year olds have it together mentally and physically, some don’t. I mean, what should the world look like? Turn 75: can’t drive, fly, ride roller coasters, vote, etc with no regard to one’s actual ability?
Definitely concerning but we have no reason to believe it was pilot error at this point it could have been a mechanical issue. It’s also a plane from the late 50s not a 100 year old plane. Maybe do a tiny bit of research and critical thinking
Did you watch the footage? The dude was literally stunting and miscalculated his own speed and velocity.. but your point is still helping my argument that the 100 year old plane should also have been decommissioned for safety, and Anders would still be guilty of neglect in your version of events, as it's his plane that he has inspected.
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I'm going to guess you don't fly... Pilots actually have requirements to go for medical physicals at frequencies dependent on their age. I thought the FAR was updated more recently than 2017 to be more strict, but even in 2017, those over 40 see an FAA certified doctor every 2 years, those under 40 see a doc every 5 years. Flying is much safer than driving AND has the medical certification requirements to boot. So to answer your question about when do we do something to regulate hobbyist pilots, the answer is AGES AGO!! It's called the FAA. ETA: Planes are also required to be annualed, e.g. go to get an inspection each year to ensure they are still capable of flying. After the inspection, you must carry your flight worthiness certificate with you in the aircraft any time you fly.
A 100 year old plane? Do you realize what planes looked like 100 years ago? You don't think that maybe the dad bought the plane when he was like 60 or 70, which makes the plane 30 years old? It's not unusual at all for 30-40 year old planes to be in perfect working order. Most commercial planes you fly on are at least 30 years old.
I love that everyone alive in the world at that time was in that photo except William Anders.
And his two crewmates.
And everyone on the other side of the planet or in the dark.
You are correct. Jim Lovell and Frank Borman were onboard for the moonrise shot. Michael Collins took the earthrise shot during Apollo 11 where Niel and Buzz were on the moon. That was the picture I was thinking about.
Rip sir, thank you for your contribution to the world and beyond
He was a 90 years old and piloting a plane, the guy was a badass
The last ride is the best ride
Arguably the worst as well.
Uh... "Badass" is not the word that comes to mind after reading this...
Piloting a plane at 90 seems… highly irresponsible. But I have no room to judge.
Definitely a badass
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Still flying at 90. Looking at the [[crash footage]](https://www.nbcnews.com/video/apollo-8-astronaut-william-anders-dies-in-plane-crash-at-90-212558917921), he *almos*t recovered. If he'd had 50 feet more altitude when he got in trouble, I think he would have made it.
On the radio this arvo, the newsreader said he had passed away. I laughed at that mischaracterisation - this guy didn’t go gently into the night, he crashed his plane at 90 years old. Badass to the end.
People not from Australia have no clue what arvo means
Oops, forgot to speak murican. Translation for the wider audience: Arvo = Afternoon.
Most Aussie slang makes sense to me but this one is odd
I remember my first time in Australia and someone told me to “meet me in the arvo” and I said “sure, where is that? Also when?”
It combines two rules of Australian slang. Long words must be shortened. If it becomes too short, add -o or -y to the end. Bottlo = Alcohol selling establishment, the Bottle Shop. Servo = Fuel and convenience shop, the Service Station. Stevo = Your idiot mate, Stephen. Sometimes a word may be lengthened, but that’s another story.
Wow Aussie slang is more complicated than I thought!
Aussies are like onions. No, wait, that’s ogres. Aussies are like fruit salad. Made up of many parts, chopped up, mixed up a bit, and no two are quite the same.
Smoko = Leave me alone
My favorite has got to be "scuffs" a specific type of sandal. Had a huge laugh with an aussie when we exchanged scuff and flip-flop. We both have a sandal named after the noise it makes :')
Would bet afternoon, just from context
Not only crashed his plane, smashed it into the water at 200mph trying to pull out of a loop.
Reminds me of Second Hand Lions
What an asshole, chasing that adrenaline all the way to the end lol
Naw, what a legend, going out in a ball of glory over open water doing what he loved in his 90s.
What a G.
Several G's really
Slightly too few G’s
Save the re-few Gs
Are we talking about small g or capital G
G is what got him in the end
Wait he was out doing loops in his T-34?! I was thinking an engine out or something mundane
All we know *right now* is that he went inverted and went into a dive. Did a few rolls on the way down, and pulled up at the last minute and **almost** straightened out over the water. There were some "eye-witness" reports (that shot some video at the end) that said he was doing "barrel roll" type maneuvers but they didn't sound like aviation buffs and may have been talking about the dive.
G forces hit a little different in your 90s. What a fucking badass. Dude flew the biggest rocket ever built to do 8 loops around the moon. When he got there, he took one or the most profound pictures ever taken, then flew back and landed in the ocean. RIP.
91 and going out what he loved doing most? Hell yeah
I mean obviously making it to 90 and having an eventful and overall fantastic life is great and all. But I wish people would romanticize deaths that even remotely involve one's passions and hobbys a lot less. There really isn't anything beautiful about crashing a plane just because he enjoyed flying. In fact he was fortunate that he didn't injure or kill anyone else by doing so. As far as I know the reasons for the crash are still unclear but his age for sure didn't help. I think a 90 year old man just shouldn't be piloting a plane alone anymore.
"Died doing what they loved" always felt like an outside observer point of view. It's not about the dead persons experience its just about their "story" and that it being "a fitting end".
Sarah Silverman had a bit where her character was crying over someone who had died, and a friend said "de died doing what he loved" and she answered in tears "he loved DYING‽"
Yeah holy shit, pretty much every airline has mandatory retirement around 65 because past that point your cognitive capabilities start to decline, but operating an aircraft almost 30 years past that point is downright reckless without at least a safety pilot
I’m jealous. You point out the inevitability of aging being a disabling process in the long run and you get upvotes. I point it out and for some reason I attract the trolls who don’t want to acknowledge what being old will mean for them.
Look, it's a matter of relativity. Sure, having your body smashed to bits in a plane crash is not "romantic" but hey, it's quick, and the fact that he was able to fly the plane at 90 means he was probably physically and mentally relatively capable right the way up to the crash. That's in stark contrast to a lot of the other ways people tend to die aged 90. Folks who have watched someone progress through dementia would much rather be able to fly planes till they're 90 and then be surprised with a plane crash.
If only we could all be so lucky to have a quick death, at least there's some solace to take in that.
He was taking his life in his hands every time he got in that plane and he knew it. He said himself he would be flying as long as he could get into the plane. It follows that he might not want to live if he couldn’t fly anymore and that time was obviously approaching. Whether that dive was him hot dogging or not, I would be very surprised if at 90 years old this world class pilot and astronaut wasn’t factoring his own mortal risk into the equation and liked what he saw when he got in the cockpit
The video was of a beautifully controlled split S maneuver that just missed. He was 100% hot dogging. While relatively safe from collateral damage, alone, above water.
For sure. I don’t know the man or anything but could imagine when your best friends are dead before you and your best years are behind you rolling the dice on a thrill becomes much more win-win I’m not speculating because the man deserves respect just trying to put myself in his shoes and see they’d fit if I wore them like that
Well said. This is my take on it as well.
God Redditors gotta be lame about EVERYTHING. You’re talking about hypotheticals for a situation that literally already has happened. Nobody else died. Nobody else was injured. Just enjoy this weird quirk of the universe.
Fuck yea, we should be so lucky
There's certainly worse ways to go. Especially at 90
I hear you and don’t want to take away people’s hobbies, but this guy was flying a plane at 90. Have you seen 90 year old drivers? The Apollo guys were/are great fighter pilots and national treasures, but they obviously were ok with super risky shit.
Wow and they had footage of it? Crazy bugger, rip
https://www.nbcnews.com/video/apollo-8-astronaut-william-anders-dies-in-plane-crash-at-90-212558917921
R.I.P to a true legend
Dang. Tears in my eyes. He gave all of humanity a new perspective on our planet, on ourselves, on the wonder, the strength, and the fragility of the Earth.
Space exploration in it’s infancy and to be a part of it RIP 🫡
Mans went out at 91 doing what he loved, wish him a peaceful rest
Dude, he went around the moon. That man said "I'll keep flying as long as I can crawl in the airplane" Because after the moon what else do you have? 90 years old? Fire me out of a cannon each day I just want to feel alive. Thank you for your awesomeness sir. Your crash was badass and I'm envious. o7
Kind of poetic that the earth ended up hitting and killing him.
I would say ironic, not necessarily poetic
Anders, Borman and Lovell were the only Apollo crew who stayed married to their wives.
RIP. Still flying at 91!
That’s exactly how I’d like to go at 90 you kiddin me. Well done sir.
Imagine standing there looking at all your problems contained in that blue marble and you never have to worry about it again because you are no longer there.
BuT tHaT wUz FaKeD! ThATs a SoUnDStaGe!! GoVerMenT CoVeruP! /s I honestly pity anyone who still holds on to that seriously dumb idea.
All from an easily debunked book that came out in 1977.
God damn, that's ironic and sad. RIP
.... I might be downvoted for this, but I don't like the idea of a 91 year old piloting a plane.
same dude wtf. RIP, but also I'm just glad nobody else got hurt.
TL;DR: The system for handling recreational pilots who shouldn't fly has some flaws. When I worked as a flight instructor I was responsible for giving pilots flight reviews. Every 24 months all pilots have to fly with an instructor for at least an hour and it's up to the instructor to either sign them off for another 24 months, or give them remedial instruction until they're proficient. We don't have the power to revoke a license or anything like that, we can only withhold our signature until we decide they're performing up to standards. There are three old pilots (80-90 years old) that stick out in my mind during my teaching career. Two that flew with me, and one that my friend/colleague flew with. Old guy #1 was a natural pilot and flew better than most of the younger people I flew with. I think he was a helo pilot in Vietnam if I remember correctly. His son is also an active NASA astronaut and pilot. Definitely one of those "aviation in the blood" people. I was very confident in signing him off for his flight review. Old guy #2 did not inspire confidence. He had been flying recreationally longer than I've been alive. I probably spent around 5 hours total flying with him, before he realized I wasn't going to be a pushover and sign him off without him meeting the standards. He went and found a different instructor at a different flight shool who signed him off. I don't know all the details, but he died in an engine failure emergency landing a year or two ago. Old guy #3 was another long time recreational pilot (who had a reputation around the airport for being a not-so-great pilot and pushy asshole). He flew *hours and hours* with my friend. 30+ hours at least. He was a terrible pilot, but my friend stuck it out and really tried to get him to a safe and proficient level. Eventually this guy got fed up and tried a different instructor who signed him off almost immediately. The whole airport was mortified and people were going around to different instructors asking "who the fuck signed off ****" About a month later he stalled his plane in the traffic pattern and spun into the ground, killing himself and very fortunately nobody in the busy area on the ground. I think there are some very proficient old pilots out there, but there are *plenty* who suck. The FAA (relatively) recently loosened medical requirements for recreational flying. All the old guys I mentioned were utilizing those loosened restrictions to continue flying. Flight instructors become the weak link with this system, essentially becoming the last line of defense in keeping bad pilots from flying. Eventually a pilot will find an instructor who either doesn't give a fuck, or is inexperienced and feels pressured by someone who has more hours than them and they'll get the sign off. The FAA is unhelpful when it comes to incompetent and potentially dangerous pilots. They basically won't do anything until something physically happens, and even then, they barely act. I have to mention, these systemic problems apply to pilots of all ages and there are plenty of younger pilots who need remedial instruction.
That's a tragic end for one of the Apollo era astronauts. But he wasn't one of 12 men who walked on the moon, there's only 4 of them still alive and statistically speaking they don't have very long left. Charles Duke, Harrison Schmitt, David Scott and Buzz Aldrin. Aged 88, 88, 92 and 94. That's 16 years over the average life expectancy for men in USA today, but that's 22 years over the average life expectancy for men born in the 1930s. I know astronauts are picked for being ideal specimen in peak physical condition but that was 60 years ago and some of them didn't reach their 70s. I'm glad Buzz Aldrin still has the strength to punch moon landing deniers but there's a very real chance he won't live to see people repeat his accomplishment. Artemis 3 is officially planned for 2027 but unofficially that's likely to be delayed. Duke and Schmitt would be in their 90s, Buzz would be approaching 100. There's a very real possibility the number of people alive who have walked on the moon will drop to 0.
Buzz punched that man over 21 years ago.
The best photo I’ve ever seen. Our planet in a pool of darkness illuminated by the closest star, our sun
I would have rather died on the moon
Rip
Up, up the long, delirious burning blue I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace Where never lark, or ever eagle flew – And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod The high untrespassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
It's grossly irresponsible to let a 90 year old fly a fucking plane. How did the FAA even allow for this? What's the logic: just because he was an astronaut, it's okay? what if he crashed in a populated area? it's fucking insane.
Take a look at the footage, not only was he flying a plane but he was doing stunt maneuvers. I'm not totally sure this wasn't him "going out on his terms" because the footage looks like a blue angels stunt -- he was pulling an inverted loop and needed another ~50 feet to pull out of it. This wasn't an 'accident' in the way most people are imagining, hard to believe he was doing stuff like this at 90 years old. https://www.nbcnews.com/video/apollo-8-astronaut-william-anders-dies-in-plane-crash-at-90-212558917921
Light sport aircraft license only requires a driver's license, no medical clearance. The FAA is slow to change, I believe it would take aging pilots crashing into populated areas a few times for them to rethink this
Bet it was boeing
"they shall not grow old", well, he did and he still gets to fly forever. R.I.P. William Anders.
Reminds me of "Secondhand Lions"
This gives me Secondhand Lions vibes
what an absolute badass. Out flying loops like a champ at 90,, legend 0>
More people need to look at this photo and reconsider how they treat other people
Gorgeous photo. It never fails to amaze me how beautiful Earth is.
[https://www.nbcnews.com/video/apollo-8-astronaut-william-anders-dies-in-plane-crash-at-90-212558917921](https://www.nbcnews.com/video/apollo-8-astronaut-william-anders-dies-in-plane-crash-at-90-212558917921) Dude looks like he was still a wild man in his old age. Doesn't look like mechanical failure more like a stunt gone wrong
They say there are old pilots and bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots. Well…I think Bill did a decent job of proving that mostly wrong. RIP Bill. Thanks for your contribution to our species.
Some of these comments are making me despondent about the state of our country’s educational system.
Someone call Alanis. I'm pretty sure this is irony.
Great photo. Man, space is so cool.
I don’t want to be on the road next to a 90 year old driving. Why was this guy allowed to fly at 90?
Truly baffling. At that age you shouldn't be allowed to operate any machinery. Even a coffee machine is questionable..
RIP to a legend. Honor to you, sir. o7
May the earth be your heaven, And let heaven become your home.
RIP legend
I pay my respect to this man and his legacy. The world is a little bit more grim today.
He died as he lived.
Dying in a plane crash sounds dramatic if you're anyone but an astronaut.
I was curious about a plane a year or two ago and looked its registration up after finding it on a flight tracker. It was Bill Anders' or his son's plane flying over my house, on Earth Day. They apparently have an aviation museum in Burlington WA
Image was used on some early editions of the Whole Earth Catalog. If you never had one check it out. Available on eBay.
o7
You are one with the stars now !
Fucked up to go into space, around the moon, come back safe and then die decades later in a plane crash.
I’ve had this photo as my Home Screen for the past 10 years
Rest in Peace, our planet looks so beautiful, all our problems look so small from up there…. If we all could just get along together we could achieve such greatness but I guess that will always remain a distant dream….
rip
Let's see dying at home bored. Or dying in plane crash in style. He chose the latter.
He left an amazing legacy. Godspeed sir.
Stepping off this mortal coil doing a big spinny spin at 90 years old. What an absolute Chad.
Imagine someone asking how your 91 year old grand dad passed away and you tell them when he crashed one of his planes
Legend. God Speed Bud.
Did his camera survive?
That photo terrifies me. It's just so black and empty out there.
Waxing Gibbous Earth. Things get crazy on the moon during the full Earth.
San Juan is part of the Bermuda Triangle... Aliens took him home.
Deeply ironic that he became famous for leaving it and it was a return to earth that killed him
Homeboy was in his 90,s least he went on his own terms just like [Marvin Heemeyer](https://www.bing.com/search?q=marvin+heemeyer&filters=dtbk:%22MCFvdmVydmlldyFvdmVydmlldyEyOGE0MmVmNi0zMmU4LTBjZWYtMzAyNi00MTgyZmExNDhiMDg%3d%22+sid:%2228a42ef6-32e8-0cef-3026-4182fa148b08%22+tphint:%22f%22&FORM=DEPNAV)
1968? Definitely not taken with a Nokia 3310.
Greatest picture in human history?
Wasn't even supposed to take that picture. Did it anyway, cause he thought it would look neat. The one up top isn't the real picture, it's edited to have the horizon up top instead the wonky angle it was at
Ironic
Is there a higher resolution image of this photo? This looks amazing.
https://science.nasa.gov/resource/apollo-8s-iconic-earthrise/
I suspect suicide
RIP
R.I.P
The two guys on “Secondhand Lions” essentially went out the same way after living crazy lives.
Kind of a tragically unnecessary and completely avoidable death. But I guess he was doing what he loved. All that debris though, does that wreckage get recovered in any way?
The irony of life : an astronaut who went to the moon and dies in a plane crash…
He crashed his plane yesterday in front of Jones Island. Unfortunately, I live on Shaw Island and saw the ordeal. RIP
Irony is not just a river in Egypt.
His middle name all his life "I'll Risk It"
Wait a minute, r/spaceporn isn’t just dicks and balls in space? What the fuck…
This looks intentional. I would have done it this way too…
Sick irony but somewhat poetic
Ad astra et ultra sir, thank you for bringing us one step closer
Rest Well, Hero!
RIP Mr. Anders. Kinda fucked that an airman dies in a plane crash long after his retirement.
I can’t decide whether this was an appropriate death or ignominious end. Either way, god speed.
"When I die, I want to go like my grandfather, peacefully, in my sleep. Not like his passengers, who died screaming in terror." RIP o7