By CHRISTINE CHEAH
alltherage@thestar.com.my

For the past few weeks, Malaysian pilot Capt James Anthony Tan, 21, has faced some pretty tough situations – like being trapped in a tiny aircraft in the middle of a snow field.

Tan has been on a mission to become the youngest South East Asian to fly 14,000 nautical miles (25,928km) solo around the world, something which has proven to be a lot tougher than just cruising through the air.

He’s been flying all alone in a tiny single piston Cessna P210 aircraft, zooming across icy horizons, knowing fully well that there isn’t a single living soul around for the next 500km.

“I was in Alaska one morning at -30° celcius with strong winds. The engine wouldn’t start because the engine oil was slightly frozen.

My right arm was numb from trying to get the plane started. It took everything I had to get me taking off to America. It felt amazing when I made it through,” said Tan.

His record-breaking journey started at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (Lima) on March 26, and he is expected to complete it in the next two weeks.

By the time he’s done, he would have flown across 20 countries in four continents.

Despite the challenges (dealing with frostbite being one of them), Tan feels he has gained a lot from the experience, from witnessing the breathtaking beauty of an active volcano to attending educational trips in Jordan.

Tan – who is of British-Chinese heritage – was only five when he decided that flying was what he was meant to do in life.

“I was heading to Britain with my mum and I saw the (Boeing) 747 for the first time. She (the aircraft) looked amazing. But what turned my interest into passion was the red fighter plane that flew vertically on the portside of the wing I was sitting,” he said.

Finding out that he was dyslexic didn’t affect his determination to be a pilot. In fact, Tan believes it has made him a better person.

“I had to work harder compared to other people but that taught me to be creative when it came to finding answers and solutions for problems,” said Tan, who described his condition as a “gift”.

“What I want to achieve is to empower the pioneering minds of Malaysia by leading with passion and humility. Humility is not to think less of myself but to think of myself less, and put others ahead of me,” he said.