Not difficult to do with a drill press and the base secured. With a drill press the pilot bit is redundant and not required. With a drill press no side to side (horizontal) movement only up & down (vertical).

You'd be surprised what ya can do when nearest hardware store is 20+ miles away from job site & you broke your last 1/4" bit.

Yep, been there done that.

I had a job drilling holes through thick(3/8") aluminum plates- 10-12 per day. You have received solid advice- tape + pilot hole + slow,+ keep cool= success.One more thing...secure your piece just in case. You don't want it spinning on our drill if it "catches". I used a large drill press with plenty of torque.
Dave