17-year-old pilot flew around the world and set 2 world records

Created on 19.09.2022 10:29

17-year-old pilot Mr. Mac Rutherford has become the youngest person to fly around the world solo in a small aircraft, reports ans.kz with a link to koreatimes.co.kr.

The Belgian-British citizen with dual citizenship Mr. Mac Rutherford set two Guinness World Records, becoming the youngest person to fly around the world solo and also the youngest person to fly around the world in an ultralight aircraft.

Mr. Rutherford started his adventure on March 23 and it lasted about five months. During this time, he visited 52 countries on five continents and crossed the equator twice. On August 24, he landed on a runway west of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.

“Just follow your dreams, no matter how old you are, work hard and move forward to achieve your goals,” he said after leaving the aircraft.

Mr. Mac Rutherford was born in a family of aviators.  Already at the age of 15 he received a pilot's license, making him the youngest pilot in the world at the time. By the way, he is not the first in his family to fly around the world. Mac’s sister Zara, at the age of 19, also flew around the world, using the same aircraft – “Shark”. It is one of the fastest ultralight aircraft in the world, the cruising speed reaches 300 kilometers per hour. But, true, Mac modified it for his long-distance journey, replacing the second seat with an additional fuel tank. So, he broke his sister’s record and became the youngest person to fly around the world in an ultralight aircraft. The youngest pilot to fly around the world solo before Mac, was Mr. Travis Ludlow from the UK, who was 18 years old.

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