Venturing out for a World tour is a dream of many. Globetrotters frequently add travel destinations in their bucket list to achieve such a feat. But then travelling on a solo flight around the world, demands courage and infinite zeal. A 19-year-old woman showcased such a daring feat, creating a stunning World record in travelling history.
As per the latest reports, Zara Rutherford, a young Belgian lady and teenage aviator, flew 28,000 nautical miles covering five continents in a solo global flight in 155 days.
A glimpse of the Solo Flight
On 18th August, Rutherford departed for her solo trip in a Shark UL plane. Throughout the journey, she stopped over in 41 countries and stayed for few weeks for perfect flying and weather conditions.
At a press conference, she stated, “The hardest part was flying over Siberia—it was extremely cold and if the engine was to stall I’d be hours away from rescue. I’m not sure I would have survived.”
She had to halt for about one month at Alaska and a total of 41 days in Russia. Around the North Korean airspace, she had to undertake a detour. The wildfire smoke in California forced her to perform an unplanned landing to avoid the hazards.
She had stated, “At one point, I just couldn’t see anymore. It got really turbulent.”
Near Greenland, Rutherford had lost radio contact for long hours and hence had to stop for a considerable amount of time. Once she landed on the ground safely, she could sent her parents a two word message, “I’m alive.”
On her arrival at Belgium's Kortrijk-Wevelgem Airport, she mentioned to the reporters, “I made it.” The entire journey was supposed to be completed in three months but it extended to two more months longer because of visa issues and poor weather conditions.
The noble cause behind the expedition
Rutherford's motivation behind the global flight was to inspire young women and girls to pursue a career in aviation. Two charitable organisations were exclusively supported by her during her journey:
1. "Girls Who Code" - helping young girls and women in computers
2. "Dreams Soar" - a non-profit group aiding girls and women in STEM (science, technology, electronics and mathematics) fields.
a two-seat ultralight plane equipped with extra fuel tanks, two radios and a parachute.
In 2021, Rutherford expressed her disappointment on only 5.1% of airline pilots in the world being women; as per the statistics retrieved from the International Society of Women Airline Pilots (ISA). She stated that, "5% is such a small number, considering it's a career where you basically get paid to travel around the world -- obviously it's work, but it's an amazing career with amazing opportunities" .
Rutherford and her childhood
Rutherford belongs to a family of pilots. Her father is a British and is a commercial pilot. Her mother is a Belgian and is a recreational pilot. She had started learning to fly at the young age of 14 and received her first license just only in 2020.
Her plan is to go to University in September his year to pursue her study on computer engineering. Currently she has taken one year gap in her academics.
Rutherford and her ride
Rutherford traversed the entire flight in a Shark Aero sponsored plane, a two-seat ultralight aircraft. The cruising speed of the plane was about 160 mph or 140 knots. It had an integrated parachute for safety and emergency.
The aircraft was customised to have a second radio and an additional fuel tank. But it was not certified to fly leveraging instruments, hence she had to operate at a low height of 1500 feet to ensure visibility. It surely posed more risk of being subjected to thunderstorms during her journey.
Yet at the end when Rutherford was greeted on her arrival by her parents and the whole world congratulated her on the stupendous feat, all the hardships were worth to face. The courage demonstrated by her is an example for many young women and girls. It is indeed an incredible and daring act by a woman at such a young age.
Cover Image courtesy: Hindustan Times
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