Mickey Bednar (AirNikon) Passed Away

administrator · Tue Dec 05, 2006 8:25 pm

Photographers,

I regret having to inform you that Mickey Bednar, known as AirNikon on Airliners.net, passed away last week. Mike was part of our Head Screener crew and the photographer on Airliners.net with the most photos accepted - 9,999 of them.

Mike was one of the first aviation photographers I came in contact with back in 1995 or 96 before I started Airliners.net. Back then, I ran a small site called "Pictures of modern airliners" where I collected photos of airliners that I found throughout the web. As a result of getting contacted by Mike and a handful of other photographers, I started a section called "Your Photos" where photographers could send in their own work to be displayed on the site. This section is what later evolved into Airliners.net. Mickey Bednar's amazing photography and enthusiasm for the hobby played an important part in growing Airliners.net during those early years. If you search through the photo database you will find many photos by Mike among the first hundreds of photos accepted to Airliners.net.

Mickey Bednar stayed loyal to Airliners.net through all these years and was a valuable support in times of turmoil. I remember the supportive emails he sent when things were tough. Here's an example from back in 2000 when the critique on upload standards was overwhelming. His "pep talk" really meant a lot to me.

It's a big loss for Airliners.net and a big loss for the aviation photography community.

Johan

Alibo5NGN · Tue Dec 05, 2006 8:32 pm

Farewell Mickey.

May his good soul rest in perfect peace, Amen. May his works continue to be a testimony to what he stood for, Amen.

n907cl · Tue Dec 05, 2006 8:36 pm

One of the best photographers on this site that I’ve enjoyed since I started looking at this site, my condolences to his family and friends.

ThierryD · Tue Dec 05, 2006 8:39 pm

If his info is up-to-date he wasn't even yet 46 years old; definitely not an age to pass away already! Sad

But life ain't always fair!

Thanks Mike for your contribution to this site and my sincere condolences to his relatives!

Thierry

Granite · Tue Dec 05, 2006 8:46 pm

Hi all

When I heard the news this morning I was totally shocked.

The headscreeners had not heard from him in a week or so, thinking he was away on a trip. The last time I communcated with Mike was a few weeks ago when he was complaining about being stuck in a hotel room with not an airport in sight and the only thing keeping him occupied was a slow connection to Airliners.net.

I'll miss his straight to the point mails he used to send to me. We both seemed to think on the same level.

Farewell Mick and thanks for listening to my moaning mails and for hanging in with Airliners.net and all the crap that went with it.

Cheers

Gary

globalpics · Tue Dec 05, 2006 8:48 pm

This is a tragic loss to all of us here.I miss already seeing his name in the screening section. Believe me when I say Mickey was and still is a true servant to this site and all of us. I wish I had got to speak to him.May you rest in peace Mickey you will be sorely missed.

EGOV · Tue Dec 05, 2006 8:55 pm

Farewell to a great screeners and photographer.

He will be greatly missed.

Dimitris

jorge1812 · Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:01 pm

May he rest in peace. I never met him, only know his many great pics here on Anet. Sure a loss to the site.

Georg

JRadier · Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:05 pm

May he rest in peace. I was just looking thru his photo's yesterday wondering when he was going to upload his 10,000th. I guess it will remain at 9,999 forever

linco22 · Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:13 pm

Wow, this is sad sad news. I remember when I first started to browse a.net I used the search engine page. His name was always top of the list along with the likes of Frank Schaefer. His images are invaluable to this site, always have been and always will be.

I know I never knew him but its a big big loss.

My thoughts go to the family.

Regards
Colin

ebos · Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:17 pm

Truely shocking news. After Frank Schaefer another top uploader passing away too early.
He will be missed as a photographer and screener.

Sven

abletofly · Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:20 pm

Condolences to friends and family indeed.
I've noticed AirNikon on many photos for a long time.

Will be missing his photos and nickname around the site.

AbleToFly

IL76 · Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:20 pm

Bad news... That's awful. My condolances to his family, friends and loved ones. News like this pulls you right back to earth and makes you rethink about the important things in life. I did not know him well, but it's certain that he will be missed on A.net-land. His contribution to the site was enormous.

Eduard

timdegroot · Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:21 pm

The most dedicated screener we ever had, Mike was a major factor in making A.net possible. While he was ever as vocal or active in the forum as other screeners this was forgiven since he was by far the most productive screener of all. The news came as a shock as Mike was still young. He will be missed by all.

Tim

[email protected] · Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:45 pm

That's indeed shocking news.
All the best to his family and friends.

Peter

Tameteora · Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:59 pm

This comes to me as a great shock...

Mike and I communicated regularly, almost always about aircraft and A.net of course. Mike mostly loved relics (as do I). Museums and scrapyards were a real challenge to him.

Here's what he wrote to me only a short while ago: Aad, check out the attached file from Bates City, Missouri [2M1]. I hope to get there! I LOVE GARBAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is what he was talking about:
View Large View Medium
Click here for bigger photo!

Photo © Simon Gregory - Jetwash Images

This is what Mike loved most. But I guess he never made it there... Very, very tragic. A great loss.

Aad.

Eduard · Tue Dec 05, 2006 10:01 pm

really sad news ..... another great contributer to A.N. and to our hobby left us to early. I didn't know him personally, but his great work on (and for) this site will let us remember him for a very long time. Thank you, AirNikon.
All my condolences to his family and friends.

Eduard M.

Sabena332 · Tue Dec 05, 2006 10:07 pm

Very sad news, condolences to his friends and his family!

Patrick

airkas1 · Tue Dec 05, 2006 10:07 pm

Oh my... This is very sad news. I've always enjoyed looking at his photos.
My condolances to his family and friends.

As I understand he died at a young age. What happened to him if I may ask?

Kas

eksath · Tue Dec 05, 2006 10:09 pm

wow.. that sucks.

Thank you, AirNikon for sharing your life with us.

Can somebody make sure he makes it to 10,0000 ?

Speedbird2025 · Tue Dec 05, 2006 10:10 pm

Very, very sad news to wake up to this morning... He truly was a great photographer and certainly dedicated a great amount of time to this website. He will be missed. May peace be with him and condolences to his family.

--Nathan

ghostbase · Tue Dec 05, 2006 10:19 pm

Quoting Tameteora (Reply 15):
Mike mostly loved relics (as do I). Museums and scrapyards were a real challenge to him.

Initially to me as a casual uploader AirNikon was one of just many A.Net 'names'. However, I love 'wrelics' as well and as I uploaded more and more shots from junkpiles and museums there was almost always one photographer who had got there first and beaten me, in fact whose footprints I had probably often stood upon!! Our paths never crossed but they were definitely parallel and it is sad news indeed.

ghost

lindy field · Tue Dec 05, 2006 10:22 pm

This is horrible news, a great loss to the airliners.net and the aviation enthusiast community. I only exchanged a few emails with Mike but we shared a particular interest and fondness for Southern Californian civil aviation. I always loved his photos from the 1970s and '80s most, but his more recent photos were also of interest because he traveled widely and apparently took pictures at nearly every airport he passed through. He will be very sorely missed.

Edward

GVerbeeck · Tue Dec 05, 2006 10:32 pm

Shocking news indeed. He will be sorely missed as a great contributor and dedicated crew member. I hope he somehow makes it to 10.000...

My condolances to his family and friends.

andyhunt · Tue Dec 05, 2006 10:43 pm

Mike will be sorely missed. We exchanged the occassional email where he always spoke sense and I had the utmost respect for him. I'm still in total shock.

Andrew

davidu · Tue Dec 05, 2006 10:45 pm

A great loss to airliners.net as a crew member and photographer.

He will greatly be missed by his fellow screeners

Life is too short worried

david

INNflight · Tue Dec 05, 2006 10:51 pm

An enormous and tragic loss for the aviation community. Since the very first day I started browsing this site's database I was stunned by the amount of photographs he has, even back then.

All the best wishes and condolences to his family and friends, he sure did enormous work for this site.

Florian

btw: thank you for the email copy Johan:

Quote:
"If a steady stream of AA
F-100s or UA B-757s has a few "stinkers", they get rejected. Again, so what?
My ego doesn't get bruised."

Something quite a few users forgot long time ago.

linco22 · Tue Dec 05, 2006 11:08 pm

It was very nice to read that email he sent to Johan. He just captures what the hobby is about, and makes some very good points, in a perfectly obvious way. I can only imagine what the forum was like back then too.

From time to time we need to think about what we do this for, and why we do it. Maybe do it the way Mike did it, and why Mike did it.

Regards
Colin

mirrodie · Tue Dec 05, 2006 11:08 pm

Wow, sad news and my condolenccees go out to the family.

Godspeed Mick

clickhappy · Tue Dec 05, 2006 11:13 pm

Well, I actually new him, as a friend, and am too upset to say anything more than he was a great guy who has "been there, done that" and I hope his legacy will last a long time here.

Royal

jfktowerfan · Tue Dec 05, 2006 11:14 pm

I can't believe another one of our top contributers is gone. Another sad day for ANET. This is such shocking and sad news.

Goodbye Mickey....Thank You. crying

Corey

aero145 · Tue Dec 05, 2006 11:26 pm

I couldn't believe the thread title when I saw it!

I was wondering what masterpiece he would come with as his 10,000th photo... I looked forward to it very much. And now this! Tragic loss, IMO, for the site.

My condolences to his family and friends, Rest In Peace.

David Sad

PS: Still cannot believe it, it's really unthinkable. And only at mid-forties!

SlamClick · Wed Dec 06, 2006 12:12 am

Well I am shocked and saddened at this.

I met Mike at his dispatcher's desk at KSNA back in the early 80s. He did a couple of big favors for me back then. I've communicated with him at another site a few times and still have two of his business cards in my file including the "BAe - Bednar Aviation enterprises (photographic division)" one.

The rest of us could live to be a hundred and never contribute as much as this man.

Adios Mick

2H4 · Wed Dec 06, 2006 12:17 am

Quoting JRadier (Reply 8):
I was just looking thru his photo's yesterday wondering when he was going to upload his 10,000th. I guess it will remain at 9,999 forever

If anyone has an unsubmitted photo of his, perhaps it could be submitted on his behalf to make 10,000.

What a great photographer. Sad

2H4

Granite · Wed Dec 06, 2006 12:29 am

Hi all

Quoting 2H4 (Reply 33):
If anyone has an unsubmitted photo of his, perhaps it could be submitted on his behalf to make 10,000

Yes, I am pretty sure one of his friends will be able to scan one of his thousands of slides to achieve this.

Regards

Gary

Psych · Wed Dec 06, 2006 12:38 am

I would like to add my voice to all the condolences placed in this thread. Clearly Mike's role in the site was enormous, and his death will evidently be a big blow to many here.

It has always been a mystery to me and a topic of conversation who AirNikon was - I am sad to find out in this way.

Paul

cosec59 · Wed Dec 06, 2006 12:45 am

Very sad news indeed.My sincere condolences to his family and friends
RIP.

fl350 · Wed Dec 06, 2006 1:10 am

AirNikon was a mystery me to me till now and like Paul said very sad to find out who he was in this manner. Thru his dedication and love of aviation photography he left us something to be remembered on this site.

RIP

Fabrice

sulman · Wed Dec 06, 2006 1:11 am

Very sad news. What a contributor. My condolences to Mr. Bednar's family and friends.

CcrlR · Wed Dec 06, 2006 1:16 am

Vaery sad to hear about this. My condolences go out to the family and to you Johann. I liked his photos and I also talked to him by e-mail once. He had some nice photos and great equipment too. he will be missed. crying

beechcraft · Wed Dec 06, 2006 1:28 am

What an enormous loss...

Can´t think of a really good thing to write that hasn´t been written before,
so just: farewell...

Denis

azza40 · Wed Dec 06, 2006 1:58 am

What a shame. My deepest thoughts go out to his family and freinds.

Aaron tombstone

tristaryul · Wed Dec 06, 2006 1:58 am

i'm in shock,
Mike was such a dedicated crew member,such an inspiration...but above all a great photographer!
tragic loss for this site
RIP

Regards
Eric Fortin

mikephotos · Wed Dec 06, 2006 2:05 am

This is very very sad. Mike was awesome and I had the great pleasure to meet and hang with him a few years back. We had a great dinner, beers afterwards and he was certainly the best of the best. Mike, you will truly be missed by many.

Mike

Bruce · Wed Dec 06, 2006 2:11 am

Add my condolences. How ironic that he made it to 9999. I had noticed a few weeks ago that for the first time he had passed Frank Schaeffer in number of photos.

He was so young too. Does anyone know what happened?

Bruce

Kereru · Wed Dec 06, 2006 2:31 am

Airnikon

Goodbye my friend and thanks for all your help in the past.

My condolences to the family.

Colin

Invader · Wed Dec 06, 2006 2:32 am

What a horrible news.... He will be sorely missed, not only by his family and friends, but by the whole aviation community. There will not be many persons who haven't seen and enjoyed one of his pictures. I will remember him by the balanced views he had in the exchange of ideas we had, and for his eye for detail. An enormous source of aviation documentation is gone...... What a shock.

Regards,
Peter Vercruijsse

wernair · Wed Dec 06, 2006 2:49 am

I cannot belive this... it's too sad! A great person is gone.

My sincere condolences to his family!

Werner

BA777 · Wed Dec 06, 2006 3:04 am

Extremely sad news Sad

Henry

Fly-K · Wed Dec 06, 2006 3:10 am

Very sad and shocking news... my thoughts are with his family and all of us here in the airliners.net community to which he contributed so much. We will miss him immensely.

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