Boy, 8, to Pilot Small Plane to New York City : Aviation: He and flight instructor plan to leave John Wayne Airport area today and land on East Coast in about a week.

Like many 8-year-olds, Chirag Shah wants to be a pilot when he grows up. But this third-grader is getting an earlier start than most.

Weather permitting, Chirag will take off in a small airplane today from Martin Aviation near John Wayne Airport on his way to New York City. Though his flight instructor will be in the cockpit next to him, the boy will handle the airplane’s controls throughout the trip as he seeks to become one of the youngest people to fly across the country coast-to-coast.

“I like flying. I’m used to it,” said the youth from Dearborn, Mich. “I think I’m a good pilot.”

Chirag said he has been interested in airplanes and astronauts since he was 3, and took up flying a few months ago when his father began taking lessons.

“I said, ‘If you can learn how to fly, why can’t I learn how to fly?’ ” Chirag said.

The boy has since accumulated 55 hours of flying time, including a flight from Detroit to Orange County, said Sam Mannone, Chirag’s flight instructor.

Mannone, who has taught about 30 students, called Chirag “a borderline genius” and said his only purpose on this trip is to make sure the conditions are safe for the boy’s flight.

“His navigation and flying are excellent,” he said.

Mannone added that when Chirag is giving his full attention to the instructor, “I talk as fast as I can because he remembers anything.”

The two will fly in a Cessna 150, a small two-seat airplane often used for flight instruction. They will be followed by another plane carrying the boy’s father, Rohit Shah, and another instructor.

Mannone said that weather will likely be the biggest variable on the trip, and Chirag will only fly when “the weather is nothing to get concerned about.” If he sees that Chirag is getting tired, Mannone said he will have the boy land as soon as possible.

“I decide the conditions he flies in,” Mannone said. “My job is safety.”

It should take about a week to get from Southern California to New York “unless we really get sacked somewhere,” he added.

Chirag said he knows flying can be dangerous, but he does not really care. It was his idea to take the trip in the first place.

“I like the spectacular view and how nice it is,” Chirag said. “I’ve only been in one emergency landing. I was calm.”

He added that he has not decided what he will do after this trip.

“Maybe fly overseas, maybe fly around the world,” Chirag said of his options. “It doesn’t really matter. If I can fly, I’ll fly.”