17-Year-Old Becomes Youngest Pilot to Fly Solo Around the World

Mack Rutherford, who flew for five months to create history, broke the Guinness World Record set by 18-year-old Travis Ludlow in 2021. He also broke his 19-year-old sister Zara's record, who in January 2022 flew an ultralight plane as the youngest person and youngest woman ever to fly solo.

Teenager pilot Mack Rutherford, 17, has become the youngest individual to fly solo in a small aircraft around the globe.

Rutherford took off from Bulgaria's capital city Sofia in March 22 and travelled for five months in a swift ultralight Shark. With a high speed of 300 km/hour, he flew the plane across 52 nations, covering two oceans, five continents, and crossed the equator twice before landing in the Bulgarian capital on Wednesday.

Hundreds of people including Rutherford's parents and sister Zara gathered at Sofia West Airport in Bulgaria on Wednesday to greet and congratulate him on achieving the feat.

According to media reports, Rutherford had to undergo extreme weather conditions to break the world record: he battled sandstorms in Sudan, extreme heat waves in Dubai, and heavy rainfall in various places amid the monsoon season.

Rutherford also faced several technical issues because of which he had to spend a night on an unpopulated Pacific Island and also flew close to the airports in India.

The biggest roadblock that led to a delay in his journey was caused due to long waits for licensing and other documentation, or having to change planned routes when they were denied.