A Livermore teen is one of Maine’s youngest pilots
17‑year‑old Scout Woodcock earns Maine’s youngest private‑pilot license through Civil Air Patrol
Livermore, Maine – At 17, Scout Woodcock of Livermore became the youngest person in Maine to receive a private pilot’s license through the state’s Civil Air Patrol Cadet Wings Program. She earned the certificate on Aug. 6, after completing the required written exam and logging 40 flight hours, including 20 with an instructor and 10 solo.
Woodcock’s fascination with aviation began in childhood. “I remember flying with my grandfather in his floatplane when I was just a kid,” she told reporters. The experience cemented a dream that she would pursue “since I was five.” She entered the Cadet program at age 12 after attending the Greenville International Seaplane Fly‑In on Moosehead Lake, which introduced her to the national organization that conducts inland search‑and‑rescue missions across the country.
The Civil Air Patrol’s Cadet program, which has around 190 participants statewide, is designed to teach flight fundamentals to young people. “A pilot’s license is very, very difficult,” said Mark Hyland, the wing commander of the Maine Civil Air Patrol. “The Federal Aviation Association does not make this easy.”
Woodcock’s training progressed quickly. At 15, she spent a week at a glider academy in Vermont, becoming the first pilot to fly solo and “feel in control of a plane.” A summer later, she flew solo in Nebraska after a week‑long course. “Those two weeks were the best experience of my life. That’s what I was working toward since I was five,” she recalled.
She has encountered a few tense moments, including an incident in Nebraska when a plane’s propeller stopped spinning during a flight with an instructor. “I don’t let the fear get to me,” she said.
Woodcock’s proudest achievement to date was her first long cross‑country flight. She flew a 150‑nautical‑mile round trip from the Auburn‑Lewiston Municipal Airport to the municipal field in Old Town, the longest solo trip she has completed. “It’s so peaceful up there. I was all by myself,” she said, describing the quiet solitude of the skies.
Looking ahead, Woodcock plans to expand her flying repertoire and is studying to become an aerospace engineer. She has begun applications to military academies in hopes of securing a pilot slot for further training. “I want to fly other types of aircraft and possibly become an aerospace engineer,” she said. “But first, I want to take my grandfather on a flight.”
Woodcock’s achievement is a milestone for the Maine Civil Air Patrol and a testament to the program’s role in nurturing young aviators. With her private pilot’s certificate now in hand, the Livermore native is poised to take her next steps toward a career that could span from flight to engineering, all while honoring the early inspiration that set her on the path.
