Teenage Pilots Flying Vintage Luscombes To Oshkosh

Two 17-year-old pilots from Boulder, Colo., are en route to Oshkosh, Wisc., this week, taking their time getting there in their 1946 and 1947 Luscombes, and giving lots of rides to kids along the way. Scooter Mainero and Heather McRoberts left home on July 11, equipped for camping out under the wing, and they’re eager to offer lots of free flights to children along the way. “I really wanted to see more kids in aviation,” McRoberts told the Columbus Telegram last week, as the pair passed through Ohio. “It’s one the best feelings we could have, and we’re having a lot of fun doing it,” Mainero said, about the chance to get others involved in flying. Both pilots grew up in flying families. “I remember my dad putting a car seat in a plane when I was little,” said Mainero. McRoberts said she took her first plane ride when she was 28 days old. They were headed for St. Louis after leaving Columbus last week. The pair’s destination is EAA AirVenture.