Meet
penelope
This is not just another airplane on the flight line.
This is Penelope.
A 1947 Cessna that was once left for dead and brought back to life piece by piece. What started as a $10,000 project quickly turned into something much bigger, with tens of thousands of dollars invested to make this aircraft what it is today. Not just airworthy, not just restored, but dialed in.
Penelope became the centerpiece of the Jimmy’s World rebuild series on Youtube, where thousands watched her transformation from abandoned metal to a flying piece of history. But the story did not stop when the cameras turned off. This airplane did not just get rebuilt. It got refined.
Patrick Blackwelder, Chief Instructor of Synergy Aero has personally flown multiple test flights in Penelope, putting the aircraft through real world operations and ensuring it performs the way a proper tailwheel airplane should. This is also the exact aircraft used to train Jimmy himself. Same airplane. Same seat. Same experience.
Anyone can learn to fly a tailwheel, but not everyone gets to do it in something like this. Every rivet, every panel, every flight has history behind it, and now you get to be part of it.
Step into a piece of aviation history and train with the instructor trusted to fly and teach in this exact aircraft. This is more than tailwheel training. This is the real deal.
Synergy Aero – KGIF
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Your runway starts here.
Engine
Capacity
Cruise Speed
Useful Load
Landing Gear
Avionics Summary
Garmin GPS W/275 Glass Gauges
Continental C-85-12F (85 HP)
2 Seats (Pilot/Student)
Tailwheel (Conventional)
Approx. 400 lbs
100 mph
As featured on Jimmy’s World, you can now master the art of conventional gear flying in 'Penelope', our meticulously restored piece of aviation history.
Tailwheel Endorsements & Training
Master the fundamentals of tailwheel aviation in one of the most famous Cessna 120s. Penelope offers a pure stick and rudder experience, perfect for earning your tailwheel endorsement. Our training program at KGIF emphasizes precision aircraft control, ground handling, and sound judgment, ensuring you leave with more than just a signature in your logbook, you leave with true confidence.