Teen vies for record solo flight to raise money for childhood cancer research

A Chinese American teen is vying to become the youngest person to fly solo to all seven continents in a quest that also aims to drum up donations for research into childhood cancer.

Ethan Guo, who turned 19 last month, began his quest in May in Memphis, Tennessee. He made multiple overnight stops and visited seven countries to get to the Swiss city of Geneva on Tuesday, before jetting off toward Heraklion in Greece.

The plan is to cover 50,000 miles (80,000 kilometers) over 100 days with stops in 60 countries. He hopes attention to the journey will drum up donations and raise up to $1 million for cancer research, an ambition born of the Stage-4 blood cancer diagnosis for a cousin of his.

That prompted the tousled-haired teen to reach out to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital based in Memphis.

“We came up with the idea of … how we can work on this together,” Guo said, “how we can make this world a better place.”

So far, he has raised about $20,000, but he’s convinced he will draw more donations.

A press handler for Guo showed The Associated Press an email exchange with an official at Guinness World Records Ltd. about the teen’s hope to become the youngest person to fly solo to seven continents. The London-based company did not immediately respond to an email from the AP seeking comment.

Guo started learning to fly at age 13, and four years later had his pilot’s license, but insurance companies balked at covering a minor for his adventure, so he had to wait. He has clocked 700 flight hours and flown to all of the 48 contiguous states in the U.S.

On the tarmac near Geneva airport, Guo said only about one in 10 of the companies he pitched to become sponsors actually came through.

Logos of companies large and small adorn Guo’s modified four-seater Cessna 182. Visitors can track his progress on the website flightagainstcancer.com.

Born in Tianjin, China, and currently living in West Palm Beach, Florida, Guo said he wanted to become a pilot to challenge himself. He foresees a career in business and tech, not aviation.

Guo’s parents were worried about his project and actively tried to stop him, forcing him to do it on his own with help from volunteers, sponsors and other supporters, he said.

He understands the risks.

“Through my experiences — like an engine failure on the very beginning of the trip … I was forced to face the fact that I could die at any point of the trip,” he said.

He’s made preparations like stocking the plane with cold-weather gear for Antarctica, a survival kit if he gets stranded in the desert, and an inflatable raft if he lands in an ocean.

“I’ll be lying to tell you if I wasn’t scared,” Guo said. “But every day I reaffirm myself. I say ‘This is what I believe in.’ (…) So I’m going to fight on until the very end.” JAMEY KEATEN, GENEVA, MDT/AP