17 Year Old Pilot Sets Record for Solo Flight Around the World – A 17-year-old pilot made history on Wednesday when he landed in Bulgaria, where his journey began five months earlier, and became the youngest person to fly solo around the globe in a tiny aircraft.
Mack Rutherford, a dual citizen of Belgian and British, landed on an airport runway west of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, to accomplish his mission and secure two Guinness World Records.
Rutherford not only flew solo around the world at a young age, but he also flew a microlight plane around the world at a young age. Rutherford expressed his hope that his success will encourage young people to follow their dreams.
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“Just follow your dreams, no matter how old you are – work hard and move forward to achieve your goals,” he said after he stepped out of the aircraft.
The previous ultralight record belonged to his sister Zara, who finished her own round-the-world journey in January at the age of 19. Travis Ludlow of Britain, who was 18 when he completed a solo flight around the world last year, lost the age record to Mack Rutherford.
Rutherford’s tour, which started on March 23, covered 52 countries and five continents. On the journey, he turned 17 years old. He crossed the equator twice in order to establish a record that was recognized by Guinness World Records.
Rutherford, who was born into a family of aviators, qualified for his pilot’s license in 2020 at the age of 15, making him the world’s youngest pilot at the time. Because his sponsor, the web hosting business ICDSoft, has its headquarters in Sofia and leased him the jet, his solo flight around the globe began in Bulgaria.
Rutherford, like his sister, flew a Shark, one of the world’s fastest ultralight aircraft with a cruising speed of 300 kph (186 mph). It was originally a two-seater, but the second seat was swapped out for an additional gasoline tank to accommodate his lengthy voyage.
The journey, which was initially anticipated to take up to three months, took longer due to a number of unanticipated challenges along the road, including monsoon rains, sandstorms, and high temperatures.
However, the majority of the hold-ups were – due to waiting for permissions and other documentation needed for additional flights, or having to change the planned route if they were rejected.
17 Year Old Pilot Sets Record for Solo Flight Around the World He traveled through Africa and the Gulf region to India, China, South Korea, and Japan on the plane. After ten hours of nonstop flight over the northern Pacific, he touched down on a volcanic island close to the Bering Strait.
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From there, he traveled to Alaska before making his way to Mexico along the US West Coast. Rutherford then turned northward once more, traveling up the American East Coast to Canada before crossing the Atlantic to Europe.
A sizable crowd had gathered at the airport on Wednesday to greet Rutherford and to honor his accomplishments. The three members of his immediate family were among them.