Henning gone west

astanley

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Display name:
Andrew Stanley
This came across my Facebook feed today. Sad news.
 

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Wow!

This is sad. He was truly an interesting man! I wonder what happened to him?

RIP
 
I have to say I’m wondering how he traveled west. I’m hoping it was something “Henning worthy” and not something normal.
Ditto.
 
Henning was certainly a legend on the avation web forums a decade ago. I never met him in person but somehow managed to connect with him on Facebook. While some of his posts came across as Dos Equis ad material, he always had interesting, if not thought provoking takes on whatever issue was at hand. More recently, some of his FB posts were a bit out there. I'm not sure what happened, but I think suspect he'd get a kick out of us pondering if his passing was part of grand conspiracy, or perhaps even faked. Nevertheless, my thoughts are with his close friends and family...Godspeed.
 
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Whoa, indeed. He seemed larger than life and, therefore, at least semi-immortal.
R.I.P.
 
Somewhere I still have a screenshot of a post of his where he said he could do a better job than the German pilot who intentionally crashed a commercial jet, killing all onboard. And that he’d be doing the doomed passengers a favor by providing them with a quick and painless death. I remember exactly where and when I read that post and the feeling it gave me In the pit of my stomach.

THAT is my primary recollection of Henning.
 
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CAVU Henning. I had a few exchanges (all pleasant) with him on the red board before here. He was a character for sure.
 
It's funny, he was gone well before my time here, but I still have heard stories and bumped into his posts in old threads. Reading the obit in the OP makes you almost believe all his stories might have been true...
 
"Interesting" persona online, very pleasant fellow in person. Had a beer with him in a little pub in Coronado CA in 2007.
Had a great POA dinner when he was in Denver, many years ago. Mari, Mark, maybe Nate - a full table having a grand time.

Last FB post was Jan 21 this year.
 
Aw man, he was certainly larger than life. Yeah he wasnt everybodys cup of tea on here (nobody is, really), i always appreciated the aspirational nature to his musings. RIP Henning, the world is duller without him.
 
iHenning. Rest in peace; a man of many exploits, questionable and otherwise.

Glad I had the chance to interact with him here, seems there was always something to learn if he posted something. May not have been what you thought it was though ….
 
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Does anyone have the list (I think from the purple board) of all of his outrageous claims?
My favorite was having relations with a woman while airborne standing on the skid of a helicopter.
 
I liked Henning. I learned a lot from him.

Blue skies and tailwind, Henning.
 
Just swinging by to update my epic post. I figured this would be good place to put it. Me and Henning had several meet ups and we always had a good time together. When asked about of list of things Henning has never done, I used to joke that there was only one item on that list. It was "hold a job for more than a year."

I'll definitely miss hearing about his adventures.




Here's a short list of his exploits...

Hennings short list from 2005…

Auto mechanic/ race car wrench
Used Car Salesman (sold first car when I was 12)
Machinist/Fabricator/Welder
Rail Inspector/ NDT (Sperry Rail Service)
(edit) Strip club Bartender
Photographer
Photo lab tech/ Custom Color Printer
Construction Worker/Supervisor
Deckhand sailor
Captain
Aircraft Mechanic
Crane Operator
Diver (although Mel Fisher didn't really pay, but you got a bit of booty at the end of the year)
Pilot
Project Manager
Boat Builder

http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=352993

Some of those may be repeated below…

Flew for regional airlines

http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=227530

Landed a Duke after bending a spar

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=112049
http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=746914

Fled Haiti with a Barge and some its dock while under fire

http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=1128136

Dove on the Lusitania

http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=1398875

Flew a bent diver at 25’ AGL from the Bahamas

http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=1204700

Divemaster

http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=944630

Rescued all passengers and crew from a helo and salvaged it.

http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=942346
http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=393328

Raced motorcycles and three wheelers

http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=923950
http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=11014424

Operate all forms of machines designed in the name of mass in motion

http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=986683

Strip club bartender

http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=353000

Crop Duster

http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=1437194
http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=1437499
http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=976300

Flew 5 gallon water jugs from Pompano to Homestead after hurricane Andrew

http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=1128146

Insurance adjuster (for at least four companies)

http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=1128146
http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=1397714
http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=1310952

Survived two major earthquakes

http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=1128118

Expert witness

http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=1310952

Knew Sam Walton

http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=1311387

Car Repo Man

http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=1315856
http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?p=945424

Truck driver

http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=821333

Father was a shrink

http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=1316142

Computer maker

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=29666
http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10795386

At the helm while porn was being filmed

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=29686

Used car salesman and sold his first used car at the age of 12

http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=533411
http://forums.aopa.org/showthread.php?p=906113
http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10911554
http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?p=945424


Got knocked on the ground by an explosion near a nuke weapons storage area

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=55663

Ran Balboa Boat Rental in Newport Beach

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=55650

Lived as a kept man in Moscow

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?t=24462

On a boat in New Orleans that exploded and killed two fire fighters

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=542705

Aerial Firefighting

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=16112

Asked to dilute the Menanite gene pool in Canada

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=123067

Pipeline Patrol

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=672270
http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10936041

Railroad engineer

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=749798

Possibly did his girlfriend’s mom

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=289937

Took bullets while doing T&Gs in a 152 during a riot

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=93633
http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=55663

A relative designed the A-4
http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=755913

****ed on his divemaster

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=769350

Proofreader

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10781309

Had a wing on fire

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10782466

Had a bull take out a tailgate on a truck

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10782901

Knows more about blimps than a blimp pilot

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10781997

Knows how to get 192 proof liquor

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10785290

Writer

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10786074

Came up with regenerative braking on cars in the 8th grade

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10786392

Damaged at least 100 engines

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10786764

Ordained minister

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10786748

Butcher

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10788706

Mile high while standing on a helicopter skid

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10792417

Horse owner

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10792662

Goat rancher

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10796669
http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10973576

Field service for computers

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10844579

Worked with some sort of radiation sniffing helicopter

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10910303

Animal surgery

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10916013

Photo recovery

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10918946

Demo pilot

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10929320

Arrested for running across the street, got officer fired

http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?p=961710

Towed other boats with a sail boat

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10947878
http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10948204

Wreck cleaner

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10984271

Dated a gal from the Honor Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=10986299

Professional Photographer

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=11039820

Got signed off for private pilot with less than 40 hours

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=11051584

Flew a 777 sim

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=11086977

Delivered travel trailers and fifth wheels

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=11087398

Drove to school in the 8th grade

www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=11088030

Can live off of Ensure

http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?p=11088838

Made gun parts as a teenager

http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1970149

Landed his C-310 gear up on the way to Oshkosh right after activating his insurance policy.

https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/how-to-have-an-incident.73444/

Got free rides in a T-37 and T-38 at Sheppard AFB

https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/fighter-jet-rides.79070/#post-1687611
https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/threads/fighter-jet-rides.79070/#post-1687683

Died late January 2024 (I'll firm up the date and provide a link if I ever find an online obituary on him.)
 

Everything Has Its Time​

3 To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:

2 A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
4 A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
7 A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;
8 A time to love,
And a time to hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace.

Hope to see you on the other side.....in the loving arms of our just creator.
 
Tailwinds and WOT, may he be at peace.
 

Everything Has Its Time​

3 To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:

2 A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
4 A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
7 A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;
8 A time to love,
And a time to hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace.

Hope to see you on the other side.....in the loving arms of our just creator.
I heard that Henning wrote that.
 
Just swinging by to update my epic post. I figured this would be good place to put it. Me and Henning had several meet ups and we always had a good time together. When asked about of list of things Henning has never done, I used to joke that there was only one item on that list. It was "hold a job for more than a year."

I'll definitely miss hearing about his adventures.




Here's a short list of his exploits...
The most disappointing thing to me is how many of those links gave gone dead. I remember him from the red board days, we may have met once at an AOPA convention (in Hartford or Philly?) during the 'aughts. Farewell, Captain.
 
Well darn. Henning was one of the 'old school' red board dudes that migrated through all the pilot social media frenzy years ago. I'm sure he went out with his boots on.
 
I have to say, this is one of those ones that is both surprising and not at all surprising. Henning was one of those larger than life folks who you knew would die eventually, and you'd never be surprised to hear he died with all of his various exploits, but part of you expected it would never happen. At least, that's how it was for me.

Before he left Florida he once met my son and me while I was flying a Cloud Nine trip in the MU-2 and we got lunch. He was drunk and being too loud in the restaurant, but pleasant to be around.

I don't know how old he would've been now, but not in the full old phase of life (something I suspect he wanted to avoid). It would be interesting to hear how he died, but he'd probably want us wondering.

And I definitely don't discount the idea that he faked his death to collect insurance money.

Assuming he is actually dead, RIP Henning.
 
What a character. If nothing else, he was effective at stirring up conversation and debate. I only remember him a bit from the Red Board before moving over to PoA. His list of exploits is pretty impressive, even if embellished. RIP sir.
 
He led the kind of life (or at least convincingly told the kind of tales) that could easily have inspired this character:
 
I have to say, this is one of those ones that is both surprising and not at all surprising. Henning was one of those larger than life folks who you knew would die eventually, and you'd never be surprised to hear he died with all of his various exploits, but part of you expected it would never happen. At least, that's how it was for me.

Before he left Florida he once met my son and me while I was flying a Cloud Nine trip in the MU-2 and we got lunch. He was drunk and being too loud in the restaurant, but pleasant to be around.

I don't know how old he would've been now, but not in the full old phase of life (something I suspect he wanted to avoid). It would be interesting to hear how he died, but he'd probably want us wondering.

And I definitely don't discount the idea that he faked his death to collect insurance money.

Assuming he is actually dead, RIP Henning.

He was 59 according to posts on Facebook.
 
Wow.
Interesting character. Clearly broadly knowledgeable.
Read his posts dating back to the old AOPA red board.
Condolences to his daughter, in particular. She’s a young adult? (Recall a profile pic in a convertible with her in the passenger seat, as a small child)
Godspeed.
 
Gone much to early,I always enjoyed his posts,he could inspire spirited conversation. RIP
 
In some ways, the world is a little duller and dimmer with the news of his passing. I met a good number of PoAers in my early years on this board, but Henning waa not one of them. My loss unfortunately.
 
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