Around the world in 155 days: 19-year-old is the youngest woman to complete solo journey
Belgian-British 19-year-old Zara Rutherford has entered the Guinness World Records after she became the youngest woman to fly solo around the world.
During her 52,080km journey, which took her 155 days, Rutherford visited 31 countries, taking off from Belgium on 18 August towards the Atlantic.
After stopping in Iceland and Greenland, she flew through the US and Canada, reaching the Caribbean. She then headed east to Russia and South Korea, before going back to her home in the Belgian Flanders.
“Only 5 per cent of commercial pilots and 15 per cent of computer scientists are women,” she said. “But during my journey I met many incredible, talented women – pilots, engineers, car racers. I believe together we can make a real change.”
Before Rutherford’s outstanding record, the youngest person to circumnavigate the world was 30-year-old US pilot Shaesta Waiz.