A 17-year-old pilot has become the youngest person to fly solo around the world in a small plane.
Mack Rutherford, who is Belgian and British, landed in Sofia, Bulgaria, after beginning his journey five months ago. He broke two Guinness World Records, including being the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe alone and the youngest person to fly around the world in an ultralight aircraft.
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“I’m very happy to have been able to complete my five-month journey around the world, and I’m back in Sofia safely and successfully,” the teenager said in a video after landing. “It took a bit longer than it was supposed to … but everything is completely fine.”
The young pilot was 16 years old when he set out for the goal on March 23, taking off on an adventure that covered dozens of countries across five continents, the Huff Post reported.
The flight, which was also documented, lasted 142 days and covered 33,631 in-air miles, according to his Facebook page and website. Rutherford also registered 68 takeoffs and landings.
He originally planned for the trip to take around three months. However, he endured uncontrollable factors, including extreme weather conditions and challenging permit processes.
The teen flew a Shark Aero, the same kind of microlight plane his sister Zara Rutherford used to create a new world record earlier this year as the youngest woman to circumnavigate the globe solo at 19. She was also the first person to complete a circumnavigation in a microlight aircraft.
“I’m definitely going to miss flying, but also with this journey, I’m trying to show that young people can make a difference,” Mack Rutherford said. “You don’t have to be 18 to do something special. Just follow your dreams, and they’ll eventually come true.”
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