Pilot Attempting Around-the-World Flight Hits Halfway Point

Michael Wildes

Wednesday, November 03, 2021 at 09:17 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

Key Takeaways:

19-year-old Belgian Zara Rutherford has reached Magadan, Russia, marking the halfway point in her quest to become the youngest woman to fly solo around the world.
Her journey has faced significant delays, including nearly a month grounded in Nome, Alaska, due to weather and an expired Russian visa.
If successful, Rutherford will set records as the youngest woman to fly solo globally, the first woman to do so in a microlight, and the first Belgian in a single-engine aircraft.
She plans to continue through Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, aiming to complete her circumnavigation in Belgium by early December.

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After being grounded in the gold-rushed city of Nome, Alaska, for nearly a month, Zara Rutherford (FlyZolo), the 19-year-old Belgian who is on a quest to become the youngest woman to fly solo around the world, has made it to Russia, reaching the halfway point of her trip.

In a short video posted on social media Monday, Rutherford’s frosty breath illustrated the biting 24-below-zero temperature that greeted her in the city of Anadyr after her safe passage across the Bering Strait.