Know all details about Ethan Guo along with more about his age, birthday and parents
An American teenager was detained on an Antarctic island, causing a significant delay in his attempt to fly a small plane to every continent—a journey followed online by over a million people. Chilean authorities stopped 19-year-old Ethan Guo after he submitted a false flight plan. The Chilean General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics stated that his deviation from the approved plan triggered alert protocols.
Who is Ethan Guo as American pilot is detained on Antarctic Island, bio, age, parents, nationality and Instagram
Inspired by his cousin’s battle with cancer, 19-year-old pilot Ethan Guo is embarking on a historic solo flight across all seven continents to raise $1 million for cancer research and awareness through the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
His passion for aviation began at the age of 13 and he earned his private pilot license at 17. He is a IFR-rated, which means that he can fly using instruments alone, without visual ground reference and has flown to all 48 contiguous US states and crossed the Atlantic three times, amassing over 700 hours of flight time.
Born in Tianjin, China, and currently living in West Palm Beach, Florida, Guo foresees a career in business and tech, not aviation.
Guo’s parents were worried about his project and tried to stop him, forcing him to do it on his own with help from volunteers, sponsors and other supporters,
“It took me six years to convince my mother, but my father was very supportive,” Guo had revealed.
Teen pilot Ethan Guo was arrested in Antarctica after modifying his flight plan without notifying air traffic control. The 19-year-old Chinese-American is on a mission to fly to all seven continents and raise $1 million for cancer research. He took off from Punta Arenas airport in Chile and altered his route without informing the relevant air traffic control centers.
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Chile’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation described the flight as an unauthorized operation at the Antarctic airfield, citing non-compliance with the Antarctic Treaty. Ethan’s mission started after his cousin was diagnosed with cancer. On his official website, he explained his goal to become the first person to fly solo to all seven continents in a small aircraft while raising funds for cancer research.
Ethan Guo (C172 guy flying to all 7 continents to raise money for St. Jude) detained by Chilean authorities for unauthorized flight to Antartica
byu/JohnathanMaravilla inflying
He shared that his passion for flying started at age 13, earned his private pilot license at 17, and holds certification to fly solely by instruments. By then, he had logged over 700 flight hours and crossed the Atlantic three times. He expressed that his cousin’s battle with cancer inspired him to take life seriously and join the fight against the disease. His website emphasized raising awareness about childhood cancer and the urgent need for increased research to find prevention and treatment methods. Ethan attracted a large social media following, with over a million Instagram followers supporting his journey.
On June 23, Guo shared an update on Instagram, describing a leg of his journey as he flew over the Philippines. He captioned the post by noting it was “Day 142 of flying to all 7 continents in order to raise a million dollars to fight cancer,” mentioning he had completed 650 miles so far. However, no further posts appeared after that. South American authorities stated that Guo filed a false flight plan before departing from Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Airport in Punta Arenas, Chile.
A 19-year-old pilot has been detained in Chile after altering his flight plan and making an unauthorized solo flight to Antarctica
Ethan Guo is trying to fly to all 7 continents to raise $1M for cancer research pic.twitter.com/zQxEmCoEpl
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) July 2, 2025