19-year-old flies around the world alone

Since August 18, Zara Rutherford has been flying solo around the world in a microlight. The 19-year-old has now completed her last stage, which should earn her two entries in the “Guinness Book of Records”.

In pursuit of world records, the young pilot Zara Rutherford completed her circumnavigation of the world after 156 days. The 19-year-old successfully completed her last leg on Thursday and landed her microlight at an airfield in western Belgium.

There she started her journey on August 18 last year, with which she wants to break two Guinness records. As was seen in a live broadcast, Rutherford flew a final loop over Kortrijk-Wevelgem Airport and then touched down on the runway.

52,000 kilometers alone

The Belgian-British pilot covered around 52,000 kilometers in the past few months. The tour took her from Belgium via Greenland, Canada, the USA, South America, Alaska, Russia, South Korea, India and the Middle East back towards Belgium. The last stopover was in Egelsbach, Hesse.

Rutherford also wants to become the first woman to circumnavigate the world in a microlight. She also wants to be the youngest woman to fly alone. So far, the American Shaesta Waiz holds the world record, who flew around the planet alone at the age of 30.

Rutherford wants to be a role model

Male record holder is an 18 year old. For Rutherford, this is also a sign of gender inequality. According to Guinness World Records, it is now being checked whether Rutherford’s record attempts were successful and whether all the necessary evidence is available.

With her flight she wants to encourage girls and young women to pursue their dreams, writes the 19-year-old on her homepage. She also hopes to get them interested in science and aviation. Rutherford herself announced before her trip that she would then study computer science and electrical engineering with the aim of becoming an astronaut.

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dpa