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:
British-Belgian Mack Rutherford, at 17 years and 64 days old, was declared the youngest pilot to fly solo around the world by Guinness World Records.
His 142-day journey covered 29,225 nautical miles across four continents in a single-engine Shark Aero ultralight aircraft.
Rutherford's solo circumnavigation followed that of his older sister, Zara Rutherford, who also set a record for flying an ultralight around the globe.
Despite facing challenging weather conditions, he described the experience as incredible and plans to continue his career in aviation.
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.
