New York - A York teenager was questioned by police after tricking British aviation executives into believing he was an airline tycoon.
In a hoax echoing the Steven Spielberg movie, Catch Me If You Can, the 17-year-old posed as a businessman in his twenties for six months, reports the Daily Telegraph.
Under the pseudonym Adam Tait, he flew to New Jersey to hold a meeting with the director of its airport to launch a cut-price Channel Islands airline.
His exploits mirror the character played by Leonardo DiCaprio in the film Catch Me If You Can which was based on the real life escapades of Frank Abagnale Jr, who posed as an airline pilot from the age of 16 and 21.
Tait pulled off the ruse for six months until journalists at publication Airliner World became suspicious.
When he tried to charter a three-seater jet at Southend airport for a photoshoot for the magazine Essex police were waiting for him and the story unravelled.
The police will not be taking action against the teenager, who is reported to suffer from a form of autism. It is claimed he can recall the exact detail of every airline's flight schedules. - ananova.com