Leaving in March in an ultra-light plane, the Belgian-British Mack Rutherford, 17, won the bet on Wednesday to become the youngest pilot to complete a solo circumnavigation of the globe. His journey of 54,000 km lasted five months and one day.
His plane landed around 4:00 p.m. on the runway of the small airport in the Bulgarian town of Radomir, an hour’s drive from the capital, Sofia.
Aviator’s suit and long curly hair under his blue cap, the frail teenager from a line of pilots confided his joy, while regretting having arrived at the end of this ‘fantastic’ journey, imbued with a ‘feeling absolute freedom. ‘I want to show that young people can make a difference. Follow your dreams!’ he said.
With more than 54,000 km traveled in 221 hours and 30 countries on his clock, Mack had to face temperatures of up to 48 degrees over numerous adventures, not to mention the many hours of waiting for overflight authorization.
War in Ukraine
In a test worthy of Robinson Crusoe, he was forced by a violent wind to land at the end of July at Attu, an uninhabited island in the Aleutian archipelago, west of Alaska. He found his food soaked in fuel and had to be satisfied with chocolate cakes, said his parents and his sister, present to welcome him.
Even before departure, the preparations had been disrupted by the war in Ukraine and its modified itinerary. Instead of flying over Russia, Mack Rutherford deviated south through Pakistan, India, South Korea and Japan before flying over the Pacific Ocean for 10 hours to reach the United States. It was “the most difficult stage”, he said.
Passionate about aviation since childhood, he received a Guinness certificate upon arrival, confirming that he had beaten the record set last year by the British Travis Ludlow, then 18 years old. He also distinguished himself by achieving this feat aboard an ultra-light aircraft, stealing the record for precocity from his sister, Zara.
/ATS