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What Keeps Me Going

Where dreams and goals work against Alzheimer's

Text and photo by Tom Hintz

Posted– 7-28-2015

Flying RC airplanes is certainly a big factor in fighting the progression of Alzheimer's but the process of readying a plane for the flying field is just as important. Click image to enlarge

I had a conversation with a friend today about what keeps me working so hard producing RC flying How-To’s and Reviews when I am guaranteed that I won’t be able to make use of any of it in years to come. The simple response to that type of question is that the work of producing that content is what is helping keep my brain functioning longer so there might be more productive years than the doctors expect. I feel like I am beating the odds to some extent right now but am just as sure that it is continuing the fight that will extend that into the future.

In recent months I have been thinking about things I want to do while I still can. I’m not much of a traveler but there is one event I would like to participate in that entails a short trip. I want to build and fly a Top-Flite Giant Scale P47 Razorback World War 2 warbird at the annual Joe Nall RC airplane super meet held every summer in South Carolina. This is the granddaddy of RC flying events and is held at what has to be RC flying heaven. The facility is second to none which draws the best planes and pilots the world has to offer but as is so typical of RC flying, there is always room for me and any others who are so inclined to fly.

The idea of a warbird is nothing new to me. I flew as a gunner in helicopters in Vietnam and loved those machines but I had always loved the look and sound of the WWll fighters. Modern jets are very impressive and there are RC model jets that are unbelievably aerobatic but I love the prop-driven warbirds. The Top-Flite Giant Scale P47 Razorback captured my interest because it is a great flying plane as much as it is realistic in the air. I have flown several smaller versions of this plane for other people and it has always been a great plane to fly.

The Top-Flite Giant Scale P47 Razorback with its larger size makes it appear more realistic in flight because of the weight and aerodynamics. However, its flight envelope does not rule out some relatively mild aerobatics as its original design insured maneuverability for combat. This model would also provide a wealth of How-To stories for my FlyingRC.net web site that would benefit others in the years after I am gone. This kind of plane has been around for many years and is not going away in the future.

Of course there is a down side to a project like this – money. My friend suggested that the government that sent us into the wars should give veterans a wish. Sounds great but if you are a veteran you already know that anything that makes sense just won’t happen. I could make a sign and go stand next to the road in front of our house but we live on a cul-de-sac so traffic is minimal. The only alternative that makes sense is the GoFundMe campaign.

Between building the airplanes and producing the related content for FlyingRC.net you can often find me at work, in the shop at 3 or 4am. I believe it is this drive to produce the content that is responsible for at least part of my success in fighting the progression of Alzheimer's. Click image to enlarge

People have been generous in the past and many have asked what projects I anticipate in the future so here is the biggy, so to speak. Getting a Top-Flite Giant Scale P47 Razorback into the air could run up to around $3500 by the time we are all done. I know that is not much for some people but it is a ton for me and I suspect lots of you. This is where the concept of GoFundMe makes so much sense and enables contributors large and small to participate.

Part of the cost of building something like the Top-Flite Giant Scale P47 Razorback comes from using good quality components that not only make the plane more reliable, more modelers will be using them so the How-To and Review content I produce during the build will service a wider range of people. There is lots of work in building this model and far more work in producing all of the content that will come from it. All of that is beneficial to my fight against Alzheimer's.

I hope to have more goals along the way but a project like the Top-Flite Giant Scale P47 Razorback is what keeps me going now and into the future. Plus we will get several videos from the build as well as flying it both locally and at other fun fly’s. Then if dreams do come true, I can fly the Top-Flite Giant Scale P47 Razorback at Joe Nall in South Carolina in 2016 and that would be a big win in this fight.

I appreciate everything people have done for me and the interest they continue to show. In a world with so much evil happening it is reassuring to recognize how kind people can be. That makes me want to stick around a while longer also.

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