A 19-year-old student announced her gap year plan: aiming to become the youngest woman to fly around the world alone.
Zara Rutherford, who has British and Belgian nationalities, will set off from her hometown of Brussels next month for a three-month voyage around the world.
This young girl studying at St Swithun School in Winchester, Hampshire, is following in the footsteps of her parents, who are both pilots.
In announcing the record bid for Popham Airport near Winchester, she told PA News Agency: “The biggest challenge will be in remote areas like northern Russia or Greenland-there are not many people living there, so if any problems arise , I will be in a somewhat awkward situation. I am a little nervous and excited, sometimes both.
“My whole family is a pilot, so I have been flying all my life. I started to receive formal training when I was 14 years old. I got a license last year. My parents completely agreed. My mother took some convincing measures, but she I got there. My father was very supportive and helped with logistics.”
Rutherford will fly a shark ultralight aircraft, which is the fastest light sports aircraft in the world, in a record-setting self-financing attempt.
The spare seat has been removed to accommodate the extra fuel tank and avoid any doubts about other people flying with her.
The current female record holder is American Shaesta Weitz, who was 30 years old when she circumnavigated the world in 2017, while the youngest male record holder was only 18 years old.
Rutherford intends to study computer science or electrical engineering and hopes to become an astronaut. She said: “At first, I planned to travel the world as an adventure during the gap year. I didn’t expect that I would become the youngest woman. If I Just do it if you do.
“Only when I started to do more research did I notice that I could become the first Belgian and the youngest woman to sail around the world alone. I hope that more girls will be interested in aviation.”
This route will take her across the Atlantic Ocean, through Greenland, Canada, and South America, to Alaska, then across to Russia and Indonesia, and back Europe.
She said: “This route was chosen to meet the requirements of the Guinness Book of World Records for’circumnavigation’. The route currently passes through 52 countries and crosses the equator twice.
“I’m very excited about this route and can’t wait. There will be many challenges along the way, but it will be amazing and worthwhile to experience all these cultures and foods. I look forward to South America and Greenland the most.”
Rutherford intends to start her experiment on August 11.
