Boy Pilot Begins Record Try

An 11-year-old Texas boy who hopes to become the youngest person ever to pilot a plane across the United States took off from Whiteman Air Park in the San Fernando Valley today, saying the adventure was “not a big deal.”

John Kevin Hill, who is not old enough to have a pilot’s license, or even a driver’s license, sat atop two pillows so he could see out of the cockpit of the turbocharged, single-engine Cessna 210. He was accompanied by instructor Mike Fields, who will take over in case of emergency, and a Texas newspaper reporter.