26-05-2025
Teen pilot on historic flight against cancer makes Bay Area stop
The Brief
19-year-old Ethan Guo is flying solo to all seven continents to raise $1 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
He made a stop in Palo Alto this week, nearing the final stretch of his historic journey.
PALO ALTO, Calif. - A 19-year-old pilot on a mission to become the youngest person to fly solo to all seven continents made a stop in Palo Alto Sunday.
But for Ethan Guo, the journey is about far more than setting records - it's a personal flight against cancer.
With just 20 countries and two continents left, Guo is nearing the final stretch of a journey that's taken him across five continents, through extreme weather, mechanical failures, and long stretches of solitude.
His goal is to raise $1 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in honor of his cousin, who was diagnosed with Stage IV Hodgkins' lymphoma, just as Guo was beginning his global trip.
"It was extremely unexpected because he was young, 17, 18 at that time," Guo said. "And it was stage 4 blood cancer, which is not very good unfortunately, and I was like, 'what can I do to help?'"
Guo says his love for flying started early. At 13, he discovered a passion for aviation.
By 17, he had earned his private pilot's license, and was homeschooled to accommodate flight training and preparation.
Now, at just 19, he's about a month away from making history.
Guo is piloting a 50-year-old, specially modified Cessna 182, often flying for hours without food or water.
The idea to dedicate his flight to cancer research came shortly after his cousin's diagnosis.
He's amassed over a million Instagram followers and support from sponsors. Along the way, he's visited children's hospitals, hoping to inspire young patients to keep dreaming.
Guo's journey hasn't come without danger. He's battled extreme weather, mechanical failures, even detainment in Myanmar.
And he's faced the loneliness that comes with flying solo for about a year.
"To be honest, many times I am scared," he said. "It's not a guarantee that I'll be able to complete this journey and on many fronts there are risks... but I think if you have something that you believe in and you find something that you believe is worth fighting for, I think even with the risk you should take it on."
There's been plenty of beauty, joy and unexpected friendships along the way too.
Today, Ethan leads a 10-person support team.
"One thing I've been able to confirm is I like taking on hard tasks," he said. "Given the opportunity at times, we give up on this journey or many obstacles that I face that I could have easily given up, I think it's only inspired me to work harder."
His advice to others?
"What people often don't realize - if you take a massive goal and you break it down to digestible pieces it's actually very much attainable," Guo said. "So what I say to people is aim as big as you can, break it down to digestible steps and work towards it step by step."
From the Bay Area, Guo will continue south to Los Angeles, Cabo San Lucas, and then head to South America before ending his historic flight in Antarctica.
He's also happy to report that his cousin is now in remission.
As for what's next? Guo is considering college, a return to the startup world, or possibly launching his own company. But first, he says, he's hoping to squeeze in a trip to In-N-Out before leaving California.
