19-year-old back in Europe after record flight: around the world in 156 days

Solo in the microlight
Around the world in 156 days: 19-year-old back in Europe after record flight

156 days, 52,000 kilometers and dozens of countries – what are you most looking forward to after a trip like this? To the family. After almost half a year on tour, 19-year-old pilot Zara Rutherford returned from her trip around the world in an ultralight on Thursday. At around 1 p.m. she landed safely at an airfield in western Belgium – with the prospect of two world records in her luggage. The first thing she did: hug mom, dad and brother hard.

It was a journey Rutherford wanted to inspire other young women to take, literally around the world. She flew over Greenland, Canada, the USA, South America, Alaska and Russia, among others. Of course there were also difficult moments, as the Belgian-British pilot said on Thursday. She mentions the flight over Siberia, for example. She hadn’t seen anything human for hundreds of kilometers. Then she thought: If the engine fails now, she has a problem.

The engine did not fail, but there was some turbulence on the journey – for example when Rutherford had to deal with heavy smoke from forest fires in California, or technical breakdowns where the wheels of the plane could not be extended.

But there were also the impressive moments that will most likely be remembered from this trip. Here, too, Rutherford mentions the flight over Siberia – precisely because it is so remote. The flights over Saudi Arabia and over Bulgaria with its striking mountain ranges were also impressive.

Role model Amelia Earhart

On Thursday, the Belgian-British pilot, whose parents are also pilots, was greeted by a large contingent of journalists, supporters and friends. A live broadcast saw her do a final loop over Kortrijk-Wevelgem Airport and then land safely. The last stopover was on Wednesday in Egelsbach, Hesse. She needed a good two hours for this last stage – then she had reached her goal: circumnavigating the world.

Rutherford wanted to become the first woman to circumnavigate the world in a microlight. She also wanted to become the youngest woman to fly around the world solo. The 19-year-old cites other aviation pioneers as inspiration: Amelia Earhart, for example, who was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic; or Valentina Tereshkova, who was the first woman in space in 1963. According to Guinness World Records, after Rutherford’s landing, it should be checked whether the record attempts were successful and whether all the necessary evidence was available. However, her team assumed that Rutherford is now a two-time Guinness record holder.

So far, the American Shaesta Waiz holds the world record, who flew around the planet alone at the age of 30. The male record holder is an 18-year-old. For Rutherford, this is also a sign of gender inequality. With her flight, she wants to encourage girls and young women to pursue their dreams, the 19-year-old writes on her website. She also hopes to get them interested in science and aviation.

Basically, she wants to encourage other people to go on adventures. “If you have the opportunity, then take it,” she said on Thursday. For her, the end of school was the best time to do something crazy – even if she thought for a long time that the project was too expensive, too dangerous and too difficult.

For Rutherford it’s going to be a little quieter for now. What will she do next week? “Definitely nothing,” said the pilot on Thursday. It will probably be a bit unusual not to fly every day. After the break, she wants to study electrical engineering – with the aim of becoming an astronaut like she did before her

Michel Winde/DPA