Zara Rutherford always dreamed of flying alone around the world , but she never mean it would actually hap . It was “ expensive , dangerous , complicated , a logistical nightmare , ” Rutherfordtold herself . However , as she was finishing shoal , she make up one’s mind to do something softheaded : endeavor to make her dreaming come up true . She succeeded .
Rutherford , a 19 - year - previous Belgian - British teen , became the young woman to nail a solo escape around the public on Thursday . She fill in the journey in Shark ultralight aircraft , a woodworking plane that can reach speeds of up to 186 miles per hour ( 300 kilometers per hr ) . In her five - calendar month trip-up , she flew over52 country and five continents , log approximately 32,000 miles ( 51,000 kilometre ) .
Rutherford was greet by cheers and hand clapping when she landed on the tarmac at the Kortrijk - Wevelgem airport in Belgium .
Belgian-British teenage pilot Zara Rutherford, aboard her a Shark ultralight, reacts after landing back at the end of her solo round-the-world trip in her Belgian hometown of Kortrijk on 14 December 2024.Photo: John Thys / AFP (Getty Images)
“ It ’s just really brainsick . I have n’t quite processed it , ” she said on Thursday , as reported byReuters .
Rutherford broke the previous criminal record held by the Afghan - AmericanShaesta Waiz , the first certify female pilot from Afghanistan who made the trip when she was 30 eld old in 2017 . The Belgian - British teen is only one year honest-to-god thanMason Andrews , the youngest male record holder for a solo flight of stairs . Andrews , also an American , complete his flight when he was 18 years sure-enough in 2018 .
Waiz congratulated Rutherford on her flighton Instagramand shared a photo of them together .
Zara Rutherford exits her plane upon the completion of her five-month solo trip around the world.Photo: Kurt Desplenter / Belga Mag /AFP (Getty Images)
“ Bravo ! ! ! I ca n’t look to link with you soon to partake in my joyousness and excitement with you , ” Waiz say . “ I also can not wait to hear your stories and long suit along your journeying . You have inspired so many people , peculiarly me ! ”
Over the course of her calendar month - farsighted journeying , Rutherford experienced things most of us only see on tv set or read in record book . As told bythe Guardian , she flew through freezing temperatures in Greenland , Alaska , and Russia ; desert haze in Saudi Arabia ; thunderstorms at the equator ; and smog in India , to name a few .
During some moment , Rutherford felt like her life could be danger . One of the shivery experiences of her misstep , she said , was when she was fly to South Korea in bad atmospheric condition while trying to stay out of Formosan and North Korea airspace .
Photo: Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency (Getty Images)
“ They have been test missile with no warning,”Rutherford saidof North Korea . “ ” If they see a small blip or aircraft on their screen that ’s quite low header towards their country , it ’s very potential that they would send someone out to have a looking at . ”
She was not interested in that and fortuitously wangle to avoid any trouble .
Now that she ’s back in Belgium , Rutherford is planning on studying electric engine room once she begins university . She hop that her flight will encourage more girls to study science and engine room and give them a office example that depend like them .
“ male child learn through toy , street names , history course and moving picture that they can be scientists , astronauts , CEO ’s or presidents , ” Rutherford wrote onher website . “ Girls are often encouraged to be beautiful , genial , helpful and sweet . With my flying I desire to show young womanhood that they can be bluff , challenging and make their dreams come true . ”
She still has one more big aspiration leave on her tilt : becoming an astronaut . With that determination , I ’m betting she spend a penny it find .
Rutherford
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