It took Mack Rutherford—nickname “Mack Solo”—142 days to pilot a single-engine Shark Aero ultralight across five continents at a total distance of 29,225 nm.
[Courtesy: @macksolo2022]
Key Takeaways:
Mack Rutherford, a 17-year-old British-Belgian, has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the youngest pilot to fly solo around the world.
He completed his 29,225 nautical mile journey in a Shark Aero ultralight aircraft over 142 days, starting and ending in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Rutherford broke the previous male record and was notably inspired by his older sister, Zara Rutherford, who also achieved a solo ultralight circumnavigation.
Guinness World Records has declared British-Belgian national Mack Rutherford the youngest pilot to fly solo around the world.
At age 17 years and 64 days, Rutherford landed in Sofia, Bulgaria, Wednesday after departing from that city six months ago to begin his record-setting journey.
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Thom is a former senior editor for FLYING. Previously, his freelance reporting appeared in aviation industry magazines. Thom also spent three decades as a TV and digital journalist at CNN’s bureaus in Washington and Atlanta, eventually specializing in aviation. He has reported from air shows in Oshkosh, Farnborough and Paris. Follow Thom on Twitter @thompatterson.
