A British-Belgian youth has completed his circumnavigation of the world in a light aircraft. On Wednesday, Mack Rutherford’s Facebook account posted a video of the 17-year-old landing at an airfield in the Bulgarian capital Sofia.
Rutherford’s ultralight aircraft landed at Radomir Airport around 4:00 p.m. local time (3:00 p.m. CEST) on Wednesday afternoon. “I want to prove that young people can make a difference,” Rutherford said after landing.
It was the last stage in his world record attempt. Rutherford may be the youngest person to fly around the world alone in an airplane. He covered more than 54,000 kilometers in his plane – only accompanied by a small teddy bear.
On the ground, Rutherford received the Guinness certificate, which certifies his best performance. He broke the solo record set by 18-year-old Brit Travis Ludlow last year.
With his record, Rutherford is also following in the footsteps of his older sister Zara, who at the age of 19 became the youngest person to date to circumnavigate the world alone in an ultralight aircraft. However, she remains the youngest woman to do so – and proved a good loser after her brother landed. She was “very happy” for him, she said.
A confirmation of the record from the Guinness Book was initially pending. Rutherford had started east from Sofia five months ago.
He faced a number of challenges on his journey – from sandstorms in Sudan, extreme heat in Dubai to airport closures in India.
Rutherford’s mother, father and sister welcomed the young pilot when he landed in Bulgaria. Mother Béatrice de Smet praised the “enormous self-control” that the circumnavigation of the world required of her son to the AFP news agency.
Rutherford’s circumnavigation was also made more difficult by the Ukraine war: instead of flying over Russia, the 17-year-old avoided Pakistan, India, South Korea and Japan. From there he flew over the Pacific Ocean in ten hours. This was “the hardest stage,” said the pilot.
After his return, the teenager now faces the next strenuous task. He had to “go back to school and catch up there,” he said.
Rutherford belongs to a veritable aviation dynasty: several generations before him made flying their profession or at least their favorite pastime.
