Watch video: Teen pilot on record-breaking solo flight to combat childhood cancer

Ethan Guo a 19yearold pilot is on the verge of breaking a world record by becoming the youngest person to fly solo across all seven continentsFlying a modified Cessna 182 a propellerpowered aircraft he touched down in Mumbai during the night of August 6 and 7 as part of his global journey that began in Geneva Switzerland But his mission extends beyond just flying Ethan is on a quest to raise USD 1 million Rs 822 crore for childhood cancer research and to spread awareness about the disease Upon his arrival in Mumbai Ethan met with this reporter to discuss his causeEthanGuo on final approch to Mumbai airport Runway 27 in hiw modified CesnaEthan is to become the youngest to fly solo to all 7 continents His mission is to raise awareness and 1Million for research of childhood cancer He visists cancer hospitals on his stops globallyhellip pictwittercomV3sGelTPopmdash Mid Day mid_day September 9 2024Fighting Childhood CancerAt each stop along his journey Ethan visits cancer hospitals to meet children battling the disease ldquoFlying is just a hobby My main mission is to raise awareness about childhood cancerrdquo Ethan told midday ldquoIn many places there are a lot of misconceptions about the disease and people often link it to superstition which compromises treatmentrdquoHe expressed concern about how parents in certain regions react to a cancer diagnosis When parents are told their child has cancer many refuse to believe it They take their kids home only to return when the cancer has progressed to a critical stage By then its often too late I hope to help raise awarenessrdquoFunding the JourneyI would never ask the public to sponsor my journey so I turned to the corporate world Initially no one believed in my mission but my first boss took a chance and sponsored me As word spread more sponsors came on board not only helping with the journey but also contributing to the 1 million targetrdquoChasing a World RecordEthanrsquos flight will span seven continents and upon its completion he will break the current world record held by a 21yearold Flying is just a hobby and the world record is a secondary goal Irsquom a firstgeneration pilotmdashno one in my family has experience with aviation so everything was more challenging for me I even worked as a waiter and it was my boss from the restaurant who became my first sponsor Ethan sharedCovering more than 50000 miles with over 75 takeoffs in 60 countries Ethanrsquos journey is extensive His videographer explained to midday ldquoI cant fly with Ethan since hes aiming for a solo record I travel on commercial flights and meet him at his next landing spotrdquoFlying a modified aircraftEthanrsquos aircraft is a modified Cessna 182 a 30yearold model with limited navigation equipment To accommodate an extra fuel tank the fourseater plane was converted into a twoseater allowing the aircraft to stay airborne for up to 17 hours at cruising speeds of 140 to 150 knots 260 kmh ldquoPeople think I wouldnrsquot be scared but itrsquos quite the opposite I was terrified flying from Pakistan to India especially after hearing about a lowpressure system forming over the ocean My aircraft is much lighter than airliners that experience turbulence so my chances of surviving a storm would be slimrdquo Ethan admittedPersonal tragedyEthanrsquos journey took on deeper significance when his cousin was diagnosed with cancer midway through his trip ldquoThis mission isnrsquot just about setting a record Irsquom using every opportunity to raise awareness about childhood cancer and the urgent need for more research Cancer is devastating especially when it targets children All the money I raise will go to St Jude Childrenrsquos Research Hospital which is leading the fight against paediatric cancer and working to improve survival rates globallyrdquo Ethan said