Massachusetts native, 18, plans to fly around world − by himself

NORWOOD – Ethan Guo hopes he'll be far, far from home this time next week.

The 18-year-old Milton native, who has been living in Florida the last few years, will spend the next three or so months crossing the globe in his small Cessna plane.

He is back in Massachusetts and staying with a friend, since most of his support team is located here, he said.

"More people have been in space than have flown around the world," he said while working on his plane on a sunny Friday at Norwood Memorial Airport in preparation for his departure on Saturday, May 11.

Fly, fly again

Guo attempted the flight last year in the additional hope of becoming the youngest person to complete the global trek. That journey, though, was grounded before it started.

He had planned to launch his trip from Memphis, Tennessee, where St. Jude’s is headquartered. He hopes his journey will raise $1 million and awareness for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital through his "Flight Against Cancer."

But on his approach to the airport in Memphis in September 2023, his plane encountered a partial power failure at 12,000 feet. When he safely landed, he said he knew his engine was not up to task.

Instead of finding a way back home, Guo decided to stay in the area as his plane underwent repairs and upgrades.

He ended up spending several months there as he waited for his engine to be repaired amid a heavy backlog. He made good use of his time by working for a flight school at the airport, where he learned to diagnose and repair planes just like his.

This time out, he said he has a far better working knowledge of his engine and the overall mechanics of the plane, so this time around he'll know what problems to look for before taking off.

“I don’t like making the same mistake twice,” he said.

Guo and the Guiness Book of World Records

Guo began flying at 13 and already holds a record as the youngest person to fly to all 48 contiguous states, a feat he accomplished at 17, not long after earning his pilot's license.

Because he delayed his flight, he will no longer be in the running to be the youngest person to fly around the world. That title belongs to British-Belgian Mack Rutherford, who completed the trip in August 2022 at age 17.

"I'm not here for the record; I'm here for St. Jude's," he said.

A lifelong dream and a cause close to home

Guo began flying at 13 and had his pilot's license by 17. From the start, Guo said he knew he wanted to fly around the world.

“I think I only had five hours of flight experience when I first said that” he said. “Now I have between 600 and 700 hours."

He left high school for homeschooling, which allowed him more flight flexibility.

His flight ahead will cover about 50,000 miles.

“It will be around 100 days if everything goes perfectly smooth, which it won't," he said.

Tying his dream to raising funds for St. Jude's was inspired by his teenage cousin in China who has Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Guo said his cousin continues to receive treatment and hopes to visit him during his global journey.

"No family who receives treatment at St. Jude's has to pay, which is why it is so important to help them out as much as we can, and this is the least I can do," he said. "We're all in this together."

He will visit six of the seven continents, bypassing Antarctica. He said attempting to maneuver his small craft above the frigid and windy continent would be "nearly impossible."

The remaining continents are all fair game, and Guo said he hopes to stop in several cities in each, many in close proximity to a St. Jude’s facility, where he hopes to inspire others with his journey.

"Their research has made childhood cancer survival rates go from 20 percent to 80 percent," he said, a claim backed up by a 2018 study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

Guo looks to the trip ahead

While Guo knows success is not guaranteed, he plans to be as prepared as possible.

“I’m not a masochist. I don’t find pleasure in risking my life,” he said.

The trip across the Atlantic will take around 14 hours, he said. Leaving him without a chance to sleep or use the bathroom.

Asked about he intends to stay alert during that long stretch, Guo was quick to reply.’

"It’s survival instinct,” he said. “If I sleep, I die.”

He said his luggage will be reduced to about what one could carry on a commercial flight, both because of the space and weight.

“The plane is very weight sensitive,” he said, “It’s me, a few bags and 1,000 gallons of fuel.”

He will fast as much as possible to cut down on the need to use a bathroom.

“You can’t get better at a goal without pushing your limits,” he said. “I like to throw myself into a situation where I’m forced to grow,” he said.

Flying isn't easy, but paperwork is harder

The real challenge in making the trip work has more to do with issues on the ground than in the sky, Guo said.

“Flying isn’t easy. It’s harder than driving a car, but the hardest part is the logistics and paperwork. It’s almost like running a company,” he said.

He has solicited companies for sponsorships and worked with public relations companies to help fund and get the word out about his trips, something he first started doing at 15.

Beyond that, Guo said filling out the paperwork and getting permission to fly into multiple countries' air space and coordinating landing locations has been the hardest part so far, as is finding places to sleep for his brief holdovers. Those challenges, he said, have been made somewhat easier by his association with St. Jude's.

"They have helped get me a lot of connections around the world," he said

Although Guo will visit more countries over the next several months than most people see in a lifetime, he won't have time to visit well-known international landmarks like the Eiffel Tower. He said his landings will include a quick meal, sleep and waking up the next day to immediately take to the skies again.

“This trip is not a vacation,” he said. “It’s an endurance test.”

Guo's future options: Software design, genetics, professional pilot

While Guo is focused in the short term on the arduous journey ahead, his future is filled with possibilities.

He said he has already been offered work as a private charter pilot, and he is considering getting a commercial pilot's license.

On the ground, Guo said he could attend college with a focus on STEM courses, particularly in the field of genetics.

And just for good measure, he is working with a team that could develop into a software company, with the first product being a time-management app on which he has been working.

"I don't know where I'll end up exactly, but I have a lot of options," he said.

To donate to Flight Against Cancer, search "Ethan Guo" at Fundraising.stjude.org. To keep track of his flight, visit Ethaguotrw.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Teen from Milton MA plans solo flight around the world