Larry Henderson
Why would anyone want to jump with Larry? Don’t have a good answer for that, other than Larry loves jumping with Aussies! Starting at the Thai Boogie in 1988 and following that with events in Bali, Lombok, Thailand, California, Arizona, Texas, and three events in Australia, the relationship he has with Aussie jumpers has only grown deeper. Larry is looking forward to the build-up for a third Aussie National Record series over the next few years.
So what else do we know about Larry Henderson, well for one he loves a kangaroo and has a fascination for everything that is ‘Macropus giganteus’ and in some ways Larry has become our own Giganteus – like that of the giants larger than life and connected with the giants of skydiving through his involvement with the P3 team and his coaching in Australia and of course participation in the Aussie Bigway record jumps.
Larry while born in Cocoa, Florida at 66 now resides in Texas. He has been happily married to Pam for the past 43 years and is very proud of his two children Caleb who is a high school coach and World Geography teacher in Texas and Rachel who owns her own architect firm in Nashville
Larry while not skydiving is an Instructor at Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas and has a MA in Thai Studies (Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok Thailand) and a MA in Christian Ministry (Abilene Christian University)
When not skydiving Larry lists his other passions as being a SCUBA instructor for thirteen years, surfing, four marathons, three trips to the Himalayas, biking, hunting, fishing and outdoor pursuits. A busy man he has managed to clock up 6100 skydives.
As a competitor Larry can boast a silver medal 16-way US National Title in 2015 as well as a 4-way US National Title. He has attended a variety of national and international competitions in Asia.
Larry jumps an Aerodyne Icon flies a Zulu 120 and carries a Smart 120 reserve. He is an experienced reserve rider for that matter with five cutaways under his belt. He calls Skydive Dallas his home DZ and is a member of team Dallas Disturbance 16.
Larry’s illustrious skydiving journey commenced in 1975 and he has amassed nine World Records and holds sixteen National and State records. This includes over 60 demonstration jumps.
Larry has provided the following answers below, which give further insight into this giant man who is actually a very unassuming individual in the flesh. Larry presents with a calm, considerate and compassionate attitude and is a joy to be coached by, fun to fly with and always interesting to have a chat to. Enjoy the ongoing read.
Exotic places I have been privileged to jump include: Australia, Thailand, Borneo, Malaysia, Bali, Lombok, Russia, Sweden, Poland, Germany, Belgium, Norway, Ecuador, Venezuela and more!
How did you decide to become a professional skydiver? My wife encouraged me to jump more often, because it made me a better husband. (ie. “Larry you need to go to the dropzone, because you are getting hard to live with!”) Doors continued to open and I am now blessed to be able to work at special events around the world.
What’s the toughest thing to do in skydiving? Being able to sort through all the egos found in the sport (especially my own), and put them together in a positive working environment.
What is the most significant difference between learning in the tunnel and in the sky? The tunnel provides a ‘no fault’ learning environment where mistakes can be addressed without risk. The same cannot be said about skydiving.
Most people don’t know this about me: I grew up in Thailand as the son of missionary parents.
How did you get interested in skydiving? Jack Angel and Loren Hollingsworth, two friends at church in Bangkok were active in the Mitrapab Educational Foundation. This was a joint U.S.-Thai military group that organized skydiving demos to help build schools in rural areas of Thailand. About 250 schools were built during the 1970’s to help counter communist infiltration.
Out of all of your jumps, is there one that stands out the most? The first time World Team organized a mass jump into downtown Bangkok. It rained parachutes for 20 minutes as 572 people landed safely on target.
Out of all your jumps, is there one that seems most dangerous in retrospect? I did a parachuting stunt for one of Oliver Stone’s Vietnam War movies that could have been disastrous. Fortunately, it came off without a hitch.
Any Suggestions for new students? Keep things in perspective. There are things that are more important than how well you performed on your last jump.
What do you like most about the sport? The way that it can bring people together, even though they might be from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
What do you like least about the sport? Exclusivist, divisive attitudes.
Explain yourself in five words or less. compassionate, appreciative, responsible.
Describe your coaching style. Low-key, understanding.
Who is your favorite coach, and why? Dan B.C. He is so very knowledgeable yet personable and approachable.
What advice do you have for people trying to form a team? Get some help from a person with experience in group dynamics. Communication issues are often the cause for team disintegration.
What are the biggest challenging a successful team faces? Other than the obvious financial investment, the biggest challenge a teammate faces is the ability to be correct without gloating and wrong without pouting.
Told you he was a giant of a man our very own ‘Giganteus’ who epitomises the saying ‘Happy as Larry’
