Teenager becomes youngest person to fly solo around world

August 25, 2022 - Mack Rutherford, 17, has become the youngest person to fly around the world solo in a small aircraft after flying 54,124km and visiting more than 30 countries.

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The 17-year-old landed at an airfield near the Bulgarian capital Sofia, the same site from which he departed in his Shark Aero microlight airplane on March 23.

Along the way, Mack, who was born to British parents but has grown up in Belgium, encountered sandstorms in Sudan and spent the night on an uninhabited Pacific island.

Rutherford's journey took longer than planned due to permit delays that forced him to alter his route twice and fly over Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, North America and back to Europe.

Rutherford became the youngest person to fly around the world solo, taking the title from Travis Ludlow, who was 18 when he completed his journey last year.

He is now also the youngest person to fly around the world in a microlight aircraft, the title held previously by sister Zara, who completed her own trip around the globe in January this year.