Zara Rutherford, 19, is the youngest woman ever to have flown solo around the world. A dual British-Belgian nationality, the aviator landed today at Kortrijk-Wevelgem airport in West Flanders after completing a trip to 41 countries and covered over 52,000 kilometers in 155 days. With her feat, she broke two records in the Guinness Book of Records: that of the American of Afghan descent Shaesta Waiz, who was 30 when she circumnavigated the world alone in 2017, and that of being the first woman to circumnavigate the world on board. of an ultralight.
A goal achieved not without difficulty, as CNN recalls. Leaving on August 18, 2021 in a custom-built Shark ultralight, she thought her journey would soon be cut short due to “visa and weather problems” encountered in Russia and Alaska. She was also forced into an unscheduled landing in Redding, California due to poor visibility caused by the fires in the Seattle area and was denied permission to fly over China. “It has been five long months,” she said, quoted by the ABC and adding that she was “excited” to go home and “sleep for a week”. “There were great moments, but also moments where I feared for my life and wouldn’t want to do it again,” added Rutherford.
Growing up, I haven’t seen many other female pilots. I always thought it was really off-putting, “Rutherford told reporters after landing a few miles from Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s busiest.” So I hope to encourage more girls to get into aviation, ” she added. The male record for the youngest solo world tour is set by Britain’s Travis Ludlow, who achieved it last year at the age of 18.
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