A tragic loss, a truly amazing aviator, astronaut and engineer.

Goodbye, Commander.

RIP...

You almost don't expect figures like that to be mortal... 
But 82 years is a good run, especially for a Cold War-era test pilot.

I never met him, but I did get the chance to hear him address a record crowd at the amphitheater during Airventure, and he was exactly what I knew he would be: just a calm, self-effacing regular guy with a quiet intensity. We often picture legendary test pilots and astronauts from that era as swaggering yahoos, but the ones who lived to a ripe old age were anything but. Engineers with pilots' souls.... and Armstrong was a perfect example of that. I still get goosebumps just thinking about that night so long ago when I watched him calmly turn off the flight computer on the LEM and  quickly find an alternate landing site, with seconds to spare. Just another day at the office for a guy like that.

  My favorite moment from the discussion: when the moderator asked him how he felt when Apollo 11 lifted off on its historic mission, after several frustrating delays....
  He only said "Surprised!" 
  That evening is another cherished memory... and I will always remember that it took place under a brilliant full moon.