Originally published at: Teen Pilot Detained In Antarctica During Record Attempt - AVweb
A 19-year-old pilot attempting a solo flight to all seven continents was detained by Chilean authorities after diverting his route and landing in Antarctica without permission.
Nutbars emerge out of the woodwork or in this case icefields and snowdrifts. This publicity stunt does not help either himself, his stated cause or G.A. The freedom to use your own judgement and act on it using a high profile activity which general aviation is discredits all other responsible individuals and invites censure from all others who may not have any appreciation of the rules and demands our activity requires. What a loss, and shame.
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Age 19 with 46 years remaining in a potential careerā¦ not bad. But he chose poorly. Bad ADM. Going into intention violation of international laws. Say Buh Bye to AA, DAL SWA, UAL, UPS, FedEX.
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Who needs an airline job when they can be an influencer raking millions on YouTubeā¦
Especially dumb if he asked for permission before and it was denied (like the guys swapping planes midair).
Beginning to develop allergic reactions when I read anything about āinfluencersā. Iāve got 99% of my social media permanently disabled just to avoid being influencedā¦
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I recall doing a few dumb things at 19, but nothing quite like this. Perhaps an anti-authority attitude (born in the 60sā¦ yes I remember those days) is more prevalent now, but certainly not helpful if this young man intended to have a formal career in aviationā¦ or a long career in general.
Iāve dreamed of doing things like this, but got no further than a dream. Iāll just continue to fly with the occasional student and for the simple pleasure of leaving the ground (and my cares) for awhile.
Can you say WRONG WAY CORIGIN/GUO?
Why not just claim he got lost and decare an emergency.
Antarctica is the most sensitive ecosystem on the planet, which is why itās so difficult to convince any of its stakeholder guardians to allow humans to set foot on it. I think they should have tied-down his plane with him locked in it until his lawyers arrived. The problem may well have solved itself, and provided a cautionary tale for other āinfluencersā. History is replete with folks doing evil in the name of a good cause.
What is social mediaā¦? [/sarc]
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All I can say, Jason, is your best course would be to disable ALL social media.
This nonsense is a prime example of how āsocial mediaā, all of it, is a societal cancer that thrives due to peoplesā thirst for validation and notoriety. āTom Waarneā, in his post above, refers to āthe rules and demands our activity requiresā, and rightly so.
But for a āsocial media influencerā, none of that matters. Once one achieves āinfluencerā status, oneās every thought is on how to get the āLikesā number up. It consumes them, and motivates them to do stupid things that sometimes endanger innocent others, all for āLikesā.
Itās a sick mentality, one I wouldnāt touch with the preverbial 10-foot pole. IMO, āsocial mediaā should be outlawed - no one needs it.
āSocial mediaā and āgood causeā is an oxymoron.
Hereās my question: What in the world is he doing flying to Antarctica in the dead of winter? It may be summer up here, but right now, Antarctica is getting 24 hour darkness and temperatures well below zero in either C or F degrees. Cold enough to congeal the oil in your sump while the engine is running. Definitely not the best time to be flying solo in near radio silence.
āThat Lindbergh fella is full of applesauce, reckless and out of his mindā¦Now when I was a boyā¦ā
Old men in their easy chairs. LOL.
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Maybe because itās Independence Day or just because, but I have to come to Guoās defense just a little.
We tend to sledgehammer pilots who want to explain accident causes before the final analysis is in, maybe we could allow a bit of daylight to a young adventurer trying to raise funds for childhood cancer research?
āChilean prosecutors allegeā¦Authorities claimā¦court has decreed a 90 day investigation periodā
In the same week that 16 yr old Sullivan flew 13 planes on his birthday we have another bold young aviator with fresh, adolescent cojones. Social media is their world - take a nap if itās too much to handle. 
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Ya stole my thunder, Dave ā¦ but I see it the other way.
BOTH this kid and Sullivan are using fallacious ADM. Both showcase why the age for ratings either ought to be raised a bit OR have a requirement for CFI overview of out of the ordinary flight attempts. THIS kid ā more so than Sullivan ā is doing nothing more than trying to collect likes at the risk of his life and that of others trying to rescue him had he wound up in the drink. I looked up the distance over water and itās quite a ways apart. SO ā¦ he clearly lied about over flying the Punta Arenas airport. I hope he gets some time in the crowbar hotel eating bread and water.
Now then, just a few days ago, you guys piled onto the current nominee for FAA Administrator for ālyingā about his pilot certificate level as if he should get the electric chair. Now THIS kid does this and some of you see it differently. Amazing logic !!
āYouth, divine treasure, you depart and wonāt return.ā ā RubĆ©n DarĆo
At 19, I stuck to Pier 59 in Hermosa Beach, California. I was chasing dreams too, they wore bikinis, not parkas. Biggest risks back then were sunburns and parking tickets. But I get it. The kid had big goals and a good cause.
Still, flying is not something you just wing, especially not into Antarctic winter. Thatās not bold, thatās flirting with real trouble. A little humility in aviation goes a long way.
That said, heās young. Weāve all done reckless things at that age. If he walks away from this with some hard-earned lessons about rules, risk, and respect, it could shape him into a better pilot. Aviation teaches fast if youāre lucky enough to walk away from the lesson.
āI hope he gets some time in the crowbar hotel eating bread and water.ā
Sounds like that hotel is likely to be hauntedā¦ yet personally, Iād prefer simply a Brasher warning with appropriate followup and personal responsibility, but thatās just me.
Now, if he had landed on a closed runway with a large X (which indeed marks the spot) holding a certified commercial pilotās license, endangering lives, and initially blamed his secretary that he had not been informed of the closure (such leaders we are blessed with), then the bread should be stale and the water dirty. Or turned off his transponder and illegally flew under a bridge, or landed on a taxiway, or lied about a rating and oh, so many more examples. The Horror!
Point being, the teen we are speaking of here does not and cannot compare to someone who, after a lifetime of experience to learn humility, responsibility and the opportunity to set an example is not running to be in charge of a major government agency - the FAA - heās just a passionate, idealistic kid who loves to fly, so today, Larry, I agree with you!
Amazing logic!!
Happy Independence Day, from one Vet to another. 
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I donāt see a comparison between this and Sullivan. Sullivan was under a cfiās supervision. He had over 200 hours, good weather, Iām sure plenty of time in each aircraft. I donāt see a lack of ADM whereas Ethan was an appropriately rated pilot who obviously chose to violate regulations for sensationalism. Iāve been involved in airline pilot hiring, this event would be an automatic āno hireā.