Airplane models are his flights of fancy
Norman Amper and his wife, Esther, moved into the Lighthouse Point Village at Chapel Harbor over the summer. It didn’t take long for them to make friends. Mr. Amper is an affable jokester who is quick to strike up a conversation with his neighbors in a 134-unit retirement community in O’Hara.
He has quite the conversation starter.
For years, Mr. Amper, now 87, has assembled, painted and decaled various mail-order model airplane kits. The finished products hang from his workshop ceiling and wind blowing from three fans cause the planes to look as if they are floating.
“It’s fun and it’s productive,’’ Mr. Amper said of his hobby. “You get so into it that you get lost.”
The models range from versions of 1930s aircraft to present-day ones. Mr. Amper’s favorites are the World War II models like the B-17 that is one of several dozen hanging from the ceiling, but will soon be a gift for another resident when Mr. Amper finishes a replacement.
Tony Iole, a 94-year-old former Allegheny County real estate appeals judge, was a radio operator during the second World War. His missions were in a B-17, the very model his friend plans on giving him.
“Oh, boy, that brings back memories,” Mr. Iole said.
Over the years, Mr. Amper has completed nearly 100 models. Dozens hang from the ceiling while Mr. Amper works
at his table making more.
The room and the planes have become a therapeutic spot for neighbors. It’s not uncommon for the Ampers to get a knock on the door and a request to sit and watch.
Mrs. Amper is quick to offer a coffee or soft drink while her husband happily engages in conversation.
“I want them to leave with a big smile,” he said.
Mr. Amper is a U.S. Army veteran who was stationed in Germany in the 1950s.
He recalled that he was always interested in flight and made models as a kid. As an adult he owned a closed-circuit security business for decades before selling it in 2005.
He also was an usher at Pittsburgh Penguins games and volunteered for 12 years at UPMC St. Margaret. But, in recent years, his balance has become an issue, so he sticks closer to home and his model planes.
Mrs. Amper, 83, is a retired real estate agent and former model. The couple has three children and seven grandchildren.
The Ampers have plenty of stories to tell, like the times they met celebrities. They recall spending time with Frank Sinatra and playing tennis with comedian Buddy Hackett.
But it was five-time Republican senator and 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater who they credit for rekindling Mr. Amper’s love of model planes.
It just so happened that a close friend of Mrs. Amper was a nurse for Mr. Goldwater. The friend invited the Ampers to the Goldwater’s Arizona estate for his 80th birthday.
When Mr. Goldwater showed him his own room of model planes, Mr. Amper began to reminisce about his childhood hobby.
“That’s when I got the itch again,” Mr. Amper said.
The two talked for hours about the planes and when Mr. Amper returned to his condominium in O’Hara, he began his collection.
Lighthouse Point manager Paul Lauver has two activities directors on staff and a packed monthly calendar highlighting various activities.
He’s a fan of creative outlets, especially ones like Mr. Amper’s.
“You want (senior citizens) to have activities and do things they like.’’ Mr. Lauver said.
“You want (senior citizens) to have activities and do things they like.’’ Paul Lauver, manager Lighthouse Point Village