A teenage pilot on a mission to visit all seven continents of the world successfully made it to the uninhabited and southernmost landmass of Antarctica only to never leave. Well, temporarily. Ethan Guo, 19, isn’t on a random joyride around the world. His strenuous mission, one that came to an abrupt halt on Day 142, aims to raise a million dollars for cancer research. Although a noble cause, entering a new territory unannounced, especially with a Cessna 182Q, came with its own set of challenges and hefty fines. Guo, who landed in Antarctica, has been stranded for two months now. Not only that, he has also been fined USD 30,000 (or Rs 26 Lakh) for his last landing. But why? Guo Dreamt Big The mission to fly to all the seven continents of the world had been in Guo’s bucket list for the past six years or so but with no pilot license, sponsors, or relevant resources at the time, the 19-year-old had to put in the extra yard and patiently wait for the right time to take off in his ambitious journey. Early Year And Struggle Manifesting his goal to be on a tiny plane and see the world through his lens, Guo began planning as early as the age of thirteen. “At 13, I began preparing for this by homeschooling and finishing high school early to focus fully on my mission. At 15, with funding challenges, I worked different jobs to pay for training and constantly searched for sponsors,” he said. Mission Finds Purpose While preparing to fuel his dream, Guo witnessed his cousin being diagnosed with stage 4 blood cancer. This brought a shift in his flight plan. The aspiring pilot wanted something more than just ticking off countries and continents in his travel journal. “At 16, I completed my first solo flight. By 17, I had earned all my pilot licenses and set a record for the fastest time to all contiguous states.” The US’s contiguous states include 48 adjoining states that share a border with at least one state. No Insurance Obtaining a pilot license was only a baby step towards the towering challenge ahead of him. Who will insure his trip? Guo wondered. Also Read: Pakistan Cricket Fans Bash Their Team With Memes After Loss To West Indies, Here’s Why “Still, no insurance company wanted to cover my flight around the world. So I flew across the Atlantic twice and finally got insurance,” he revealed. Challenges Pile Up On the very first day of his journey, his 50-year-old plane’s engine failed, leaving him stranded. Utilising the extra time he had on his hands, the dreamer honed his skills while learning some more. “Over the next couple of months, I learned how to fix planes. Volunteered at the local flight school and began preparing for my second attempt.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ethan Guo (@ethanguo.rtw) Actualising The Dream As they say, if you don’t visualise your dreams, you cannot actualise them. Guo had dreamt for half a decade. It was time to get airbound. “After a total of five years of preparations, failures, overcoming challenges, I turned 18, ready to risk my life to finish what I’ve started.” This, however, didn’t come with its own set of struggles. These flights were relentless, hopping from one continent to another and visiting 50 countries meant long, isolating hours over vast oceans and the plane experiencing mechanical challenges. But that didn’t deter him, nor did it dampen his spirits. He revealed that during his layovers, he visited hospitals to raise awareness about his fight against cancer. Stranded In Antarctica Guo’s flight to Antarctica landed him in trouble. Authorities reportedly arrested the teenage pilot for allegedly altering his flight plan without notifying the relevant air traffic control centres. Also Read: You Can Now Buy Sidhu Moose Wala’s Bullet-riddled Thar For Rs 297, Here’s How He flew from Punta Arenas airport in Chile, and this was deemed as “unauthorised operation at the airfield in Antarctica”, said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (Chile). A report in the BBC added that all the charges against the Asian-American pilot had been dropped, and he was free to go. However, he was banned from entering the Chilean territory for the next three years. Additionally, he will have to “donate” USD 30,000 to a children’s cancer foundation, the report added. Guo is free to go, sure but Antarctica’s unpredictable and punishing weather has grounded him indefinitely. The pilot wishes to leave as soon as possible to carry on with his mission. The pilot-influencer has a following of 1.4 million on Instagram, where he documents his journey. He also has a website Flightagainstcancer.com where he documents his mission and accepts donations for cancer research.