Zara Rutherford, a 19-year-old Belgian-British pilot, landed at Kortrijk-Wevelgem airport at 13:00 this Thursday after completing her solo round-the-world flight after 155 days.
By achieving this trip of 52,080 kilometres aboard an ultralight aircraft, Zara becomes the youngest woman to fly solo around the world. During the last part of her flight, she was accompanied by four Marchetti planes from the Belgian Red Devils, the Belgian Air Force aerobatic team flying in a V formation behind her.
The young girl took off from Kortrijk-Wevelgem airport on 18 August 2021 and has since flown over five continents and stopped in 31 countries onboard her sports plane, a Shark Aero Ultralight (registered in the manufacturer’s country Slovakia as OM-S443) which has a cruising speed of 300 kilometres per hour.
Heading West across the Atlantic, she stopped in Iceland and Greenland, flew through Canada, the USA and the Caribbean to Colombia. Then she continued North-West, crossed the Bering Strait from Alaska into Russian Siberia and flew further to South Korea, Indonesia, India, the Middle East and back home to Kortrijk in Belgium.
Her journey took twice as long as expected. In Alaska and Russia, she had to wait several weeks in freezing temperatures for good weather conditions. She had to take a long detour over the sea to avoid North Korean airspace. In the Philippines she had to escape the super-typhoon Rai, in India she avoided thick smog which significantly reduced visibility. In California, she faced wildfires, in Dubai – heavy winds, and in Mexico – an earthquake. But everywhere she met extremely friendly people eager to help and encourage her to continue her inspiring mission.
Zara Rutherford’s trip qualifies her for the Guinness book of records as the youngest female having circumnavigated the world in a light aircraft. The current record-holder, Shaesta Waez, was 30 when she completed in 2017 her “Dreams Soar” around-the-world flight in a single-engine aircraft. With this flight, Zara has reduced the gender gap for the record by more than a decade.
Fact sheet about Zara’s journey
· Guinness World Records broken:
· The youngest person to circumnavigate by aircraft solo (female) is 19 years 199 days, achieved by Zara Rutherford (Belgium, b. 5 July 2002), on 20 January 2022
· The youngest person to circumnavigate solo by microlight is 19 years 199 days, achieved by Zara Rutherford (Belgium, b. 5 July 2002), on 20 January 2022
· Guinness World Record requirements: Zara had to include one pair of antipodals (points diametrically perfectly opposite to each other on the globe). On 3rd September 2021 she visited the first antipodal: Quibdo, Colombia (the wettest city on Earth). On 21st December she visited the second antipodal: Jakarta, Indonesia.
· Zara is also the first Belgian to have circumnavigated the world flying solo
· Aircraft: Shark Aero, one of the fastest ultralight aircraft in the world (up to 300 km/h), designed in the Czech Republic and manufactured in Slovakia
· Total distance: 52,080.3 km (28,121 nautical miles)
· Total time in the air: approx. 260 hours
· Takeoffs and landings: 71 (69 stops, including 10 diversions to an airfield other than planned; 2 returns to the same airfield)
· Longest flight: 2000 km (1080 nautical miles)
· Longest flight over water: 1861 km (1005 nautical miles)
· Highest altitude: 4200 metres (13,800 ft), over Greenland
· Continents visited: 5
· Countries visited: 31
· Highest temperature: +36 (Colombia)
· Lowest temperature: -34 (Magadan, Russia)
· Safety: Zara received advice from experienced pilots at all times. She was in contact with the flight operations team through the Iridium Communications satellite system and via YB Tracking. She had a personal locator beacon (PLB) with satellite connection, survival suit and a life-raft in case of landing in water. The Shark Aero is equipped with an integrated parachute.
· FlyZolo Team: Zara received invaluable help from hundreds of people in all locations along her route. She would particularly like to thank the British and Belgian governments. At all times she could also get assistance from her ground team based in Europe: https://flyzolo.com/meet-the-team/