After attempting to be the youngest person to fly solo around the globe in a small plane, a Belgian-British teenager pilot began his quest to join his sister.
Mack Rutherford, 16, took off in clear and windy conditions, with his parents watching. He would surpass Travis Ludlow, 18-year-old Briton who set the record in 2021.
His 19-year-old sister Zara Rutherford set the record for the youngest solo female pilot around the globe two months ago when she flew solo from Kortrijk in Belgium on Jan. 20.
Mack Rutherford was born into an aviation family. He has flown hundreds of hours together with Sam Rutherford, a professional ferry pilot. Beatrice, his mother is a private pilot.
Rutherford fulfilled his dream of becoming a pilot in 2020 when he was licensed. At the time, he was the youngest pilot in the World at 15.
His lonely journey will now take him to 52 countries across five continents. The route will cross twice the Equator to meet Guinness World Records requirements.
Rutherford’s trip began in Bulgaria because his sponsor, ICDSoft web hosting company, is located in Sofia. It also loaned him a plane.
It will be his first stop. He will then fly south to Africa and then head north to India China South Korea Japan. He will continue on the U.S. West Coast, Mexico to Alaska before heading to Alaska. He will then head north along the East Coast of Canada to continue his journey, crossing the Atlantic to stop in Iceland and the U.K, before finishing his journey in Sofia, depending on the weather conditions.
His flight was rerouted to avoid flying over Russian territory due to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
He will fly a Shark ultralight aircraft, which is comparable to his sister’s, with a speed of 300 kph (186 MPH) and has been prepared for long distances. It is normally a two-seater aircraft, but the extra fuel tank takes up one.
Rutherford is trying to balance schoolwork and record-seeking flight. He said that he prefers to go this year because “I will have a lot of exams next semester.”