Althouse: "Mr. Guo, who obtained his pilot’s license at 17, was aiming to become the first person to fly solo in a small aircraft to all seven continents...."

July 5, 2025

"Mr. Guo, who obtained his pilot’s license at 17, was aiming to become the first person to fly solo in a small aircraft to all seven continents...."

"Antarctica was the only continent where he had yet to land, he said. On Saturday at about 5:30 a.m., he took off from Punta Arenas, a city near the southern tip of Chile, with a flight plan indicating that he was going to fly over the city and land again in Punta Arenas, prosecutors said. But without notifying aviation authorities, Mr. Guo flew his Cessna 182Q across the Southern Ocean and landed at a Chilean airstrip on King George Island at about 11:30 a.m., prosecutors said. Prosecutors said that Mr. Guo had submitted 'false flight plan data' and that when he deviated from that plan, aviation officials declared that his Cessna had been 'lost.'..."

From "Teenage Aviator Detained After Landing in Antarctica, Chile Says/Ethan Guo, 19, had been documenting his attempt to fly solo to all seven continents on social media. He is no longer in custody but has no easy way to leave an island off Antarctica’s coast" (NYT).

25 comments:

Bob Boyd said...: Penguin Alcatraz; 7/5/25, 11:19 AM
Quaestor said...: FAFO; 7/5/25, 11:19 AM
Quaestor said...: From the penguin POV it's Leopard Seal Alcatraz, but what's the pelican POV?; 7/5/25, 11:22 AM
Narr said...: Asshole. Put other people at risk to satisfy his pride.

Let him swim home.; 7/5/25, 11:24 AM
Original Mike said...: I don't understand what happened to his plane.; 7/5/25, 11:25 AM
Bob Boyd said...: This is like Philippe Petit or those guys who get arrested after climbing a skyscraper. Sometimes you have to ask forgiveness because you'll never get permission.; 7/5/25, 11:25 AM
Levi Starks said...: This kid has a special kind of audacity.
Hopefully Trump will hear about it and honor him with a medal of something.; 7/5/25, 11:33 AM
Quaestor said...: "I don't understand what happened to his plane."

Impounded? Our FAA can do that, Chile's equivalent agency probably can, too. Flight plan regs are the result of international negotiations dating back 100 years. That why departure and arrival times are given in UTC, even if you depart and arrive at the same airport. Like I said, FAFO; 7/5/25, 11:35 AM
Greg Hlatky said...: Open-boat voyage to South Georgia. Worked for Shackleton.; 7/5/25, 11:44 AM
Tom T. said...: The NY Post says he's awaiting a commercial flight back to Chile, which probably only comes around weekly. He'll then be held in Chile pending an inquiry.; 7/5/25, 11:49 AM
Levi Starks said...: Further research: point to point distance 671 nautical miles.
Cessna 182Q range about 1000 nautical miles.
Cruising speed 145knot = about a 4.6 hour trip.
Useful payload 1250 lbs. minus fuel weight equals about 700 lb passenger/cargo load. He could have (and maybe did) carry enough fuel for the round trip. Was his plan to land, refuel and return? Could be.; 7/5/25, 11:53 AM
Quaestor said...: Chile claims sovereignty over considerable chunk of Antarctica, which the United States and most other nations do not recognize. This is probably why Ethan Guo has had the book thrown at him.

We do too. Every so often somebody file a false flight plan in order to overfly Groom Lake, Nevada. The Air Force won't shoot you down, but they will send up an interceptor, photograph you at the controls, and record your tail number. When you get down, you'll find a Federal Marshal waiting.; 7/5/25, 12:27 PM
Lazarus said...: In the beginning Guo was going to use his project to raise money for St. Jude's hospital and fighting cancer. I don't know if that plan ever got off the ground or if it crashed and burned.

Chilean, Argentine, and British claims overlap. The Chileans don't mind the island being named after a British king. The Argentinians do and have their own name for it. Other countries also have research stations on the island. The territorial claims may not be taken that seriously. But if the Antarctic starts to melt ...; 7/5/25, 1:03 PM
Leon said...: Ok he said he was flying from one airport in the city to another and had to divert due to weather..... That's clearly not true. The Chilean officials are claiming it was dangerous because he might have crashed into another airplane. That's clearly hyperbole. They're also claiming it was dangerous because it might have made them go rescue him and put other people in danger. I don't think they actually went and sent anybody out. It might also expose a vulnerability in their air defense that they didn't know where he was and thus embarrassed them. Probable; 7/5/25, 2:34 PM
Leon said...: Ok he said he was flying from one airport in the city to another and had to divert due to weather..... That's clearly not true. The Chilean officials are claiming it was dangerous because he might have crashed into another airplane. That's clearly hyperbole. They're also claiming it was dangerous because it might have made them go rescue him and put other people in danger. I don't think they actually went and sent anybody out. It might also expose a vulnerability in their air defense that they didn't know where he was and thus embarrassed them. Probable; 7/5/25, 2:34 PM
MadTownGuy said...: Teen Pilot Charged After Diverting From Approved Flight Plan

"The teen pilot operates a Cessna 182Q, a single-engine aircraft registered N182WT. According to officials, Guo submitted a flight plan to remain near Punta Arenas but changed course midair and flew toward Antarctica without informing Chile's aeronautical authorities.

"The accused provided false information to the aeronautical authority," Regional Prosecutor Cristian Crisosto Rifo said in X video. "He submitted a flight plan indicating that he was going to fly over the city of Punta Arenas. However, he continued toward Antarctica without informing anyone and without any authorization."

Guo was detained after landing and formally charged for violating Chile’s Aeronautical Code and international aviation protocols related to Antarctic operations. His attorney, Karina Ulloa, told CNN that the teen pilot began experiencing "a series of complications" during the flight. She added that Guo claimed he “was conducting an exploratory flight to see if he could follow this route or not.”

The airfield where he landed lies on King George Island in the South Shetland Islands, within the sector Chile administers as part of its Magallanes and Chilean Antarctic Region. Guo will remain in Chile during a 90-day investigation, but poor weather has delayed efforts to transport him back to the mainland.

...

Antarctica Isn’t Meant For Light Aircraft

The Cessna 182Q is a four-seat, single-engine piston aircraft introduced in the late 1970s. According to the Cessna Pilots Association, the aircraft is powered by a Continental O-470-U engine; it typically cruises at around 140 knots and has a range of roughly 900 NM, depending on fuel load and conditions. The model offers a service ceiling of around 18,000 feet and a maximum takeoff weight of just under 3,100 pounds.

It is well-suited for cross-country travel and general aviation missions, but not typically used for operations in extreme environments. Antarctica has some of the most hostile flying conditions in the world, with strong crosswinds, limited infrastructure, and rapidly shifting weather systems.

The first aircraft landing on the continent dates back to the 1920s. However, a series of fatal crashes, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, highlighted the risks. Since then, general aviation activity in Antarctica has remained extremely limited, with most operators avoiding it altogether.

For light aircraft, the challenges are even greater. Piston engines require preheating in sub-zero conditions, and icing hazards are a serious concern, especially without de-icing systems or turbine powerplants. Most modern Antarctic operations rely on aircraft specifically modified for polar environments, such as the Basler BT-67 or Twin Otter, which offer better cold-weather performance, endurance, and operational resilience."; 7/5/25, 4:02 PM
Howard said...: If you're not applauding this kid then you are a pussy Karen.; 7/5/25, 6:11 PM
Leland said...: Illegal immigrant.; 7/5/25, 6:32 PM
Craig Mc said...: Well, at least Antarctica got ticked off his list.; 7/5/25, 6:36 PM
Narr said...: He's no Matthias Rust.; 7/5/25, 7:05 PM
Bob Boyd said...: The lonely Antarcticans will be glad to have someone to talk to whose stories and jokes they haven't already heard a million times. They'll probably take measures to keep him away from their wimminfolk, but they likely won't be entirely successful.; 7/5/25, 7:07 PM
mikee said...: What is the appeal of flying from one continent to another, when most are contiguous with the land mass of the next door continent? The only big jumps are the one reported, some overwater island hopping from Asia to Australia, and the biggest - the trasatlantic flight. Just load up fuel bladders on the Cessna and fly from Newfoundland to Greenland to Iceland to Ireland to France, and voila, you've accomplished something difficult but not very rare.; 7/5/25, 8:56 PM
effinayright said...: Narr said...
Asshole. Put other people at risk to satisfy his pride.

Let him swim home.
*************
What other people. I've been down there, in Ushuaia (south of Punta Arenas) and the South Shetlands. Aside from a very few planes servicing the tiny research stations there, there's no one and nothing to endanger.

Yeah, a stupid stunt, but it didn't risk anyone safety's but the pilot.; 7/6/25, 12:15 AM
stlcdr said...: Kids, today.

The media should put more emphasis on the actual danger of what he was doing, rather than ‘getting in trouble with authorities’.

There’s certainly a lot of rules in aviation, but those rules are there because of the danger of death.; 7/6/25, 10:46 AM
Narr said...: I jumped the gun, but his stupid stunt had the potential of putting others--search and rescue people--in danger.

Asshole.; 7/6/25, 12:19 PM