Posted on 07/04/2025 6:07:14 AM PDT by BenLurkin
An American teenager has been detained on an Antarctic island, creating a major delay in his attempt to fly his small plane to every continent that is being followed online by more than a million people.
Chilean authorities stopped Ethan Guo, 19, after he submitted a false flight plan, according to the BBC's US partner CBS News.
His deviation from that plan in the air had "activated alert protocols", Chile's General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics said in a statement.
Mr Guo was taken into custody after landing on King George Island, home to a number of international research stations and their staffs, where July temperatures typically stay well below freezing.
Mr Guo's small Cessna 182 aircraft took off from the city of Punta Arenas, near the southernmost point of Chile, and flew to the island off the Atlantic coast, which is claimed by Chile. It is named after England's King George III.
He was detained at Teniente R. Marsh airport.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Someone brave enough to fly a 182 there should be celebrated, not arrested. The science piggies that Antarctica like a private playground.
This took guts and skill.
Alls I want is a lil joy ride and the freakin cops are all over me! WTF?
I watched a US produced piece on Antartica. In it they mentioned the US tries to stop people from flying to Antartica or over it. The probability that they’ll make it is very low as the weather can change in moments. We’re not talking ordinary weather. We’re talking some of the most challenging flight conditions on the planet. If they go down the base there is required to mount a rescue attempt, which can be very dangerous for the people tasked with going out in bad weather. The base is not funded or staffed to run off and spend time, money and incredibly expensive materiel to rescue some idiot trying to get YouTube clicks. These are mostly scientists and some maintenance contractors with other jobs.
The obvious solution is to tell people if they do stupid stuff, they’re likely going to die. Then, let them die. Apparently, there’s some bit of international law requiring a rescue attempt.
Leave those kids alone!
Look at me. Social media.
This cant be current
Its dark almost 24 hours a day now. Deep winter.
Probably 6 months ago
News has been super slow since January. They are sick and tired of making it up 24/7.
I remember following FR threads of the lead up to Al Gore’s Live Earth concert on every continent for July 7th 2007.
Climate expert Al Gore picked July 7th as the whole world would be in summer mode and the Antarctic would be greened up for the concert.
5 hours of daylight @ King George Island.
Just long enough to get into trouble. /s
I hope that they impound his plane. Stupid stunt for stupid masses.
Besides, if he wasn’t stupid he’d have realized that a touch n go would have sufficed for his goal.
But, then again, now he’s national news.
Right back to stupid. /s
“Someone brave enough to fly a 182 there should be celebrated, not arrested. “
Stupidity should stop being rewarded.
Reminds me of the German kid that flew his little plane all the way to Moscow from Helsinki back in 1987. That was a dangerous stunt, too!
Can't you contact Air Traffic Control and request a change in plans?
I had forgotten about that. Landed in Red Square, I think.
Why can’t people visit Antarctica as they please. What is going on down there that access is strictly limited? Let the sojourner beware.
Stupidity should stop being rewarded.
In 1982, I went out as an additional crew member in a Coast Guard H-3 over the Prince William Sound to search for dead bodies that resulted from a different H-3 going down trying to rescue a fisherman. On the way out, the pilot told me, "There are old pilots and there are bold pilots but there are no old. bold pilots."
Driving rain, 40 knot winds, and ceilings of 200 ft. helped me understand what he was getting at.
“Besides, if he wasn’t stupid he’d have realized that a touch n go would have sufficed for his goal.”
No... it’s not a round trip in a 182.
That’s a great idea! Murder him for landing at an island that we didn’t really want him to! Sounds like a Cuban idea.
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