![At 94, he’s built 100 tiny planes — and counting [video]](/-/media/project/good-sam/stories/items/img_1391-940x500.jpg?h=500&la=en&w=940&hash=3D22E22FD5179ED1F17B6137C83735458781BF78 "At 94, he’s built 100 tiny planes — and counting [video]")
At 94, he’s built 100 tiny planes — and counting [video]
If Martha Blocker is looking for her husband, John, she generally finds him in a room amidst dozens of tiny airplanes. He's finished more than 100 and he's building more.
His unique hobby combines dexterity with a respite from the world. John calls it "therapy."
Watch the video below for his take on his hobby.
He started building the planes in his mid-80s.
I don't have the shakes. I can work on those little pieces, and now I'm 94 years old, so I count it a blessing that I can do this work and I enjoy it. I spend hours out here every day. My wife thinks I moved." – John Blocker, resident, Good Samaritan Society – Prescott Village
In the spare room of their senior apartment at Good Samaritan Society – Prescott Village in Arizona, John is surrounded by the tiny tools of his trade. Miniature bottles of paint and tools line the walls, while some of his creations hang above.
"It keeps you busy," he says. "I'm always on my knees here picking up stuff off the floor, when they pop out of your tweezers or something. You've got to go looking for it."
John has loved airplanes most of his life. He never got to fly as a child, but as soon as he was old enough, John enlisted to serve in World War II. He went through flight training school and was assigned as part of a B-29 bomber crew.
Following the war, he owned his own airplanes, and that led to his interest in model building.
John's current project is a tiny P-47 Mustang model. The small size of the model and the intricate details of the decals make it a good project to test his skills and focus. "That little detail work is what helps keep you sharp."