• MILITARY: Brazil-France submarine programme (Graphic DUE Mar 28, 15:00GMT)
  • SPACE: Calls for protected moon sites (Graphic DUE Mar 28, 16:00GMT)
  • ACCIDENT: Why did Baltimore bridge collapse? (Graphic DUE Mar 28, 17:30GMT)
  • For full details of graphics available/in preparation, see Menu -> Planners
Graphic shows the flight path of Zara Rutherford on her journey around the world, with details of the ultralight Shark UL plane.
GN41626EN

AVIATION

Young woman completes solo microlight circumnavigation

By Phil Bainbridge

January 20, 2022 - A 19-year-old British/Belgian girl has become the youngest woman to fly solo around the world, and the youngest person to undertake the 52,080.3km, 200-hour voyage in a microlight plane.

Zara Rutherford flew clockwise around the world, crossing 41 countries and five continents, making two crossings of the Equator, to take in Colombia and Indonesia. The low weight of her Shark UL microlight plane means it only required around 2,500 litres of fuel for the entire journey, less than a typical passenger jet uses in 10 minutes.

Despite flying from a young age and coming from a family of aviators, Rutherford only obtained her full flying license a year before she took off.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 20/01/2022; STORY: Graphic News
Advertisement