Mack Rutherford, a British-Belgian 17-year-old, landed in Bulgaria on Wednesday to become the youngest person to fly solo around the world.
Five months and a day after taking off from Bulgaria in March, Rutherford returned to the small airport near the town of Radomir, an hour from the capital Sofia, to claim his record.
“I’m trying to show with this trip that young people can make a difference, just follow your dreams,” the teenager said after landing.
“I’m not sure if there are any other records I even want to break, I just want to go back to school to catch up,” he added.
Dressed in a flight suit and dark, curly hair held back by a blue beanie, the slender teenager regretted the adventure was over, describing a “definite sense of freedom when you fly”.
Rutherford comes from a line of pilots. His family goes back four generations of aviators, and Mack got his first taste of being behind the wheel when he was just seven years old.
His record flight covered 54,000 kilometers (34,000 miles) in 221 flight hours through 30 countries.
Last but not least, he had to endure temperatures of up to 48 degrees during the many hours of waiting for the overflight permits.
His solo ordeal also included an emergency landing on the uninhabited island of Attu west of Alaska due to high winds.
– Ukraine war changed plans –
His sister and parents, who were at Radomir Airport to greet the young airman, also said his food stash eventually ran out of fuel, forcing him to settle for some chocolate cakes.
Even before Rutherford took off in March, his preparations were derailed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, forcing a change in flight route.
Instead of flying via Russia, Rutherford flew south through Pakistan, India, South Korea and Japan before flying 10 hours across the Pacific Ocean to reach the United States: “The most difficult leg,” he said.
“This type of journey requires a lot of control on all levels, you have to be able to control your emotions and your stress,” his mother Beatrice de Smet told AFP.
“He did it like a boss,” said Sam Rutherford, the adventurer’s father and retired military pilot.
Mack Rutherford’s performance was recognized by the Guinness World Records group, with a certificate confirming he had broken the record held by 18-year-old Travis Ludlow of Britain last year.
He also managed the feat in an ultralight, becoming the youngest pilot to take his sister Zara’s record.
A good loser, Zara said she was “very happy” for her brother.
She remains the youngest woman to complete a solo circumnavigation of the world earlier this year at the age of 19.
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