A teenage pilot is all set to land his plane in Dubai during his world-record attempt to be the youngest individual to fly around the world solo in a small plane.
A 16-year-old teenager, Mack Rutherford, a British-Belgian pilot, got his pilot’s licence in 2020, making him the youngest pilot ever at the age of 15.
On March 23, he started his journey from Bulgaria in an ultralight plane that weighed only 325 kilograms and flew at 299 kilometres per hour.
Till now, he has covered South Africa, Madagascar, Congo, Italy, Greece, Sudan, Mauritius and Kenya. He will pass Oman next and make a small stop in the United Arab Emirates.
He is set to land, weather permitting, on Thursday, June 2, around 10 am at Dubai International Airport.
Mack took birth in a family of pilots and has been encouraged by them.
Mack’s father, Sam, is a professional ferry pilot, while his mother, Beatrice and sister Zara are both private pilots.
In January 2022, her sister Zara became the youngest female to circle around the globe. The 19-year-old set off on August 18, 2021, and went back to the Belgian town of Kortrijk on January 21 after more than five months.
Now Mack is trying to add more achievements to his family’s name and will also meet and inspire people on the way of his journey.
As per the Guinness World Records, the youngest person till now to travel around the globe solo in an aircraft (in both male and female categories) is Travis Ludlow.
He was 18 when he completed his solo flight last year and made a world record.
Mack said, “Many people of my age do amazing things. Often few people know about them.”
“I am looking forward to meet some of them. Together we can show that young people make a difference.”
After the UAE, he will be heading east to Kazakhstan and around Russia. He will then pass the Bering Strait into Alaska and will continue along the west coast of America to Mexico.
Mack will then go north again along the east coast towards Canada before crossing the Atlantic and making a stop in Iceland and the UK.
His epic journey is due to complete in Bulgaria’s capital Sofia.
Mack’s journey can be tracked online through his website.