American pilot and social media influencer Ethan Guo has been released from a Chilean military base in Antarctica after being detained for two months. Guo, who turned 20 in July, was held after allegedly providing false flight plan data and landing his Cessna 182Q without authorization on King George Island. A Chilean judge ordered his release Saturday, requiring him to pay $30,000 to a childhood cancer foundation and leave the country immediately. He is also prohibited from entering Chilean territory for three years, according to The Associated Press.
Guo began his global journey in 2024 at age 19. His goal was, and he says still is, to become the youngest person to fly solo to every continent. He also aimed to raise $1 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. Before he was detained, his route had already taken him across six continents.
Prosecutors said that on June 28, Guo had only been cleared to fly over Punta Arenas, but that he instead continued south without notifying controllers and ultimately landed in Chilean Antarctic territory at King George Island. Guo’s attorney, Jaime Barrientos, said that poor weather forced his client to divert and insisted he had received clearance.
“To his surprise, when he was about to take off back to Punta Arenas he was arrested, in a process that from my perspective was a total exaggeration,” Barrientos said.
During his detention at the Chilean air base, Guo lived under restricted conditions in freezing Antarctic winter temperatures. He described the experience as “mundane” with “limited freedoms,” but thanked Chileans for their hospitality.
“They’ve taken care of me. They’ve taught me Spanish, and they’ve treated me like family,” Guo said.
Guo has expressed hopes to continue his record-setting flight and complete his seven-continent journey once allowed to depart.
Sounds too high, and too stiff. The pilot made a mistake without hurting anyone or himself. Sounds like we all need to stay away from Chile; bent on stealing from tourists who work outside the mark. Who will straiten the Chilean government out? AOPA? This is just wrong! Very bad publicity for Chile! Which they do not need. Who will tell them?
Sorry, Ethan, but according to the geographer wonks who make a living worrying about such things, there are actually, officially, eight continents.
Yes, and Pluto is no longer a planet by some scientific definition and tomatoes are scientifically a fruit (but try mixing the with melon balls and strawberries and you’ll have no takers). The addition of Zealandia is based on underwater formations, something we don’t generally consider part of a landmass. It is very hard to define exactly what makes a continent. Some scientists argue that there are only six and that Europe and Asia are one. But, continents are named by convention and that convention says seven.