Ethan Guo

Ethan Guo (born July 2005) is an American pilot and social media influencer known for his "Flight Against Cancer" campaign, an attempt to become the first person to fly solo to all seven continents in a small aircraft while raising funds for cancer research. His journey gained attention after he was detained by Chilean authorities in June 2025 for an unauthorized landing in Antarctica, due to legal complexities under the Antarctic Treaty System.

Early life and education Ethan Guo was born in late 2005 in Tianjin, China, and later moved to the United States, residing in West Palm Beach, Florida, as of 2025. Guo claims he graduated high school early to achieve this. He obtained his private pilot license at age 17 and is Instrument Flight Rules (IFR)-rated, enabling him to navigate using instruments without visual ground references. By age 19, he had logged over 700 flight hours, having flown to all 48 contiguous U.S. states and crossed the Atlantic Ocean three times.

Guo started his journey in Memphis, Tennessee, in May 2024, visiting countries including the UAE, Pakistan, Australia, and the Philippines by June 23, 2025. By July 2025, he had raised $105,000, falling short of his $1 million goal but still contributing to St. Jude's mission. The campaign aimed to highlight the importance of childhood cancer research and fund advancements in treatment and prevention. Guo was detained and questioned by authorities, but was let go without any charges the next day.

On June 28, 2025, Guo was detained by Chilean authorities after landing without authorization at Lieutenant Rodolfo Marsh Base on King George Island, within Chile's claimed Antarctic territory. He departed from Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Airport in Punta Arenas, Chile, in his Cessna 182Q, submitting a flight plan indicating a local flight over Punta Arenas or, in some reports, a route to Ushuaia, Argentina. Instead, he diverted to Antarctica, landing at Teniente R. Marsh Airport, an action Chile's General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics deemed an "unauthorized operation". Prosecutors, led by Cristian Crisosto Rifo, argued that Guo's actions endangered air traffic safety in Antarctica and the Magallanes region, violating both national laws and international regulations, including the Antarctic Treaty. Guo was detained upon landing but released pending a 90-day investigation, during which he must remain in Chile. but shared no further details on social media. Guo turned 20 years old in July while detained on the island, and said he lost 20 pounds due to meager rations.

In August, a trial was held, where Guo's defense argued that Guo was granted sufficient authorization to deviate from his planned route and land in Antarctica due to "weather and technical circumstances". The defense was supported by a screenshot of a WhatsApp chat that allegedly showed a Chilean aviation official approving Guo's request to land on King George Island. Subsequently, a Chilean judge approved a deal in which prosecutors agreed to dismiss the case against Guo if he paid $30,000 to the Fundación Nuestros Niños, a Chilean children's cancer charity associated with the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, and does not re-enter any Chilean territory for the next three years. After initially saying that he was awaiting a flight back to the Chilean mainland, on September 6 Guo was transported back to Punta Arenas via naval ship and released following a delay due to adverse weather conditions. On February 12, 230 days after Ethan first landed in Antarctica, his plane was flown back to Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Airport in Punta Arenas by a Chilean pilot and escorted by a Chilean Air Force de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter. Over the following days it was flown to Santiago and then to Mendoza, Argentina, the latter being where it will be handed over to its owner.