The State : Boy, 9, Sets Flying Record

Tony Aliengena, 9, of San Juan Capistrano, became the youngest pilot ever to fly solo by completing a 1-mile flight aboard an ultralight aircraft in Oceanside. The third-grade student, who needs a booster seat to reach the controls, broke the Guinness Book record previously held by Cody A. Locke, who is 21 days older than Aliengena. Locke, whose home town is not listed, had set the record in 1983. After breaking the mark, Aliengena said he will aim for the age record for flying across the United States and back. He plans to leave from Oceanside airport March 30 aboard his father’s Centurion Cessna 210, hoping to break the cross-country record set Aug. 13, 1987, by Christopher Lee Marshall, 10, of Oceano. Aliengena began his pilot’s training at age 3, handling the controls while sitting on his father’s lap.