19-year-old teenage pilot Zara Rutherford is determined to make history as she has commenced her journey to fly solo all around the world. She commenced her three-month adventure from Kortrijk in Belgium. Zara made her first stop at Popham Airfield in Hampshire at 11:30. She is determined to travel 52 countries alone.
She aimed to cross the equator twice during her trip. Zara has started her journey on a tiny Shark Aero, the world’s lightest sports plane. Zara had originally decided to start her journey last week, but her trip got delayed in her effort to install an enhanced camera system to capture the beautiful scenery during her trip all around the globe.
Furthermore, she has planned her trip in a way that she circumnavigates 70 decided stops. During her journey, she will spare 19 days for rest. Zara is scheduled to return to Kortijk on 4 November. Zara who hailed from Belgium disclosed that the biggest test would be remote places like northern Russia or Greenland.
Additionally, Zara belongs to a family of pilots. She started her training when she was only 14 and in 2020, she managed to get her pilot’s license. Zara has decided to fly to Wick, via Aberdeen, before traveling across the Atlantic Ocean to Iceland, Greenland, then Canada. Rutherford is looking to earn the title from Shaesta Wais, who became the youngest woman to fly solo around the world at 30.
Moreover, the British-Belgian flyer expects her voyage will inspire more girls and women to study and work in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), and trigger girls’ interest in aviation. She disclosed that she started loving aviation and STEM as she grew up, but the sad things are that many girls have no interest in STEM. She always found it disheartening and disappointing.
