'Five-year-old Chinese boy becomes youngest pilot'

A five-year-old Chinese boy has become the youngest person ever to fly a light airplane single-handed, covering a distance of 30 km, it has been claimed.

The boy nicknamed Duoduo, flew a total 47 minutes in two flights around the Beijing Wildlife Zoo in Gu'an county, Hebei province, on Saturday afternoon, according to his father, He Liesheng.

The feat followed Duoduo's 20 days of flight lessons at a private club.

According to The Global Times, Zhang Yonghui, the person in charge of the club said the distance of the flight was 30 km.

"I am preparing video clips for Guinness World Records and the World Record Association to get certification for my son as the youngest pilot in the world," said He, from Jiangsu province.

"Duoduo is very excited about his brave act and is in high spirits," He said.

The father made headlines last year after Chinese media reported that he had forced the young child to run naked in the snow.

In the recent feat, Duoduo, dressed in professional flight gear, flew as high as 100 metres in the air twice on Saturday, 'China Daily' reported.

The small plane, which has two seats and weighs about 100 kg, took off from a runway in the middle of a field.

A trainer was seated behind the boy in the plane, giving only directions to the boy.

The trainer, however, stretched out his arms during the flight to suggest the boy was controlling the aircraft on his own.

He said Duoduo likes car and airplane models, and the idea of having him pilot a plane striked him last year.

However, the news has generated mixed public reactions.