20 Years on the Ground — Back in the Air!

N97CW has been my brother’s and my project for over two years. Today was the day she took to the skies.

N97CW is a Zenith 601HD with a Subaru EA81 engine, Stratus 2000 redrive, and Warp Drive T8185 prop. She may have been a drug plane long before we bought her. 97CW came equipped with a still-working police scanner and the wiring set up for a CB radio—not to mention she was built on the Texas/Mexico border.

We bought her on January 1st, 2024, when we were 15 years old, and trailered her back to our home airport in Tompkinsville, KY. Our goal was to have a project where we could learn how to work on and fly airplanes.

Since then, we have gone through the entire airplane, inspecting, troubleshooting, and making repairs to our bird. All of the time spent working on her will go toward obtaining our A&P licenses.

Now, on August 23rd, 2026, we finally get to see the fruits of our labor. Today, we took her around the pattern for the first time in over 20 years (according to our logbooks). 

20 years spent sitting on the ground;

today, back in the air.

Couldn’t be more excited. ✈️ 

Thank you to everyone who has helped us on this journey.

— Christopher and Benjamin Townley

P.S. I hope you all like Dukes of Hazzard.

Before purchasing N97CW

After installing new engine

Our first takeoff

https://youtube.com/shorts/XbjSCgmVBgc?is=loSToNi668-YW4gO