19-Year-Old Zara Rutherford Begins Attempt to Become Youngest Solo Pilot to Travel the World

On August 18th, Zara Rutherford set off on a possibly record-breaking trip. Completely by herself, the 19-year-old will travel 32,000 miles across the world hoping to become the youngest woman to solo circumnavigate the globe.

Rutherford will complete the journey in a bespoke Shark ultralight, which is the world’s fastest microlight aircraft. With her work, she hopes to inspire more girls and women to pursue careers in science and navigation.

“Growing up, I loved aviation and STEM - science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, but I didn’t see many other women or girls doing that. I just always thought that was quite sad or discouraging,” Rutherford said. “I’m hoping that I can encourage girls to go into this field.”

After leaving her home in Kortrijk, Belgium last Wednesday, the young pilot embarked on a three-month adventure. During her trip, she will visit 52 countries, 5 continents, and will cross the equator twice. The destinations were especially picked out to fulfill the requirements for the Guinness World Records’ around-the-world flight.

If her travels are carried out successfully, Rutherford will replace Shaesta Waiz as the youngest woman to fly by herself across the globe. The American pilot who currently holds the title was 30 when she completed the journey in 2017.

To prepare for the challenge, Rutherford learned how to exit an aircraft underwater and practiced the maintenance of her plane. Although the teenager started formal flying lessons in 2020, she was not new to aviation. Both of her parents are pilots and she has been learning to fly since an early age.

The long voyage is self-funded. To make her dream a reality, Rutherford had to sell her car and seek sponsors. However, her earnings will not be used for repaying her costs. Instead, the money raised will go towards helping Waiz’s charity Dreams Soar, a non-profit that works to inspire women to enter STEM careers. Girls Who Code, an organization that hopes to increase the number of women in computer science, will also receive part of the funds.

If you are interested in following Zara Rutherford’s travel around the world, you can track her live flight at FlyZolo. Her voyage will also be documented on TikTok through the account @FlyZolo.

Bibliography

Cairns, R. (2021, August 18)This teenage aviator hopes to be the youngest woman to fly solo around the world. BBC. https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/zara-rutherford-teen-pilot-youngest-woman-hnk-spc-intl/index.html

N.A. (2021, August 18) Teenage pilot Zara Rutherford begins solo round-world record bid. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-58256386

Nepal, P. (2021, August 19) Who is Pilot Zara Rutheford? The Youngest Pilot to Fly Solo Around the World on Instagram. [Photograph] Heightzone. https://heightzone.com/pilot-zara-rutherford-instagram/

Rossignol, C. (2021, August 18) Flying solo, 19-year-old woman takes off on round-the-world record bid. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/flying-solo-19-year-old-woman-takes-off-round-the-world-record-bid-2021-08-18/

Skirka, H. (2021, August 19) Teenage pilot Zara Rutherford takes off on youngest round-world solo flight attempt. The National News. https://www.thenationalnews.com/travel/news/2021/08/19/teenage-pilot-zara-rutherford-takes-off-on-youngest-round-world-solo-flight-attempt/