Jordan Karlesson
Some teens fly high in the classroom, getting great grades. Others fly around a running track or on a football field. But a very select few fly in the literal sense of the term.
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Seventeen-year-old Mack Rutherford, a British-Belgian pilot, is in a league of his own when it comes to flying. On Wednesday, he became the youngest person in the world to fly around the globe all by himself.
Rutherford landed at Sofia in Bulgaria, completing a journey that saw him traveling to 52 countries in five months, BBC reported Wednesday. Along the way, he reportedly hit sandstorms in Sudan and stayed a night on an otherwise desolate Pacific island.
Additionally, Mack became the youngest person ever to fly with a pilot’s license, at age 15.
Should look pretty good on his transcript when applying for university.
Mark Rutherford’s High-Flying Adventure
Incidentally, Rutherford’s parents are both pilots.
His older sister, Zara, touts impressive flying creds of her own. Earlier this year, she became the youngest woman to fly solo around the world, according to Dorset.live.
“I knew before she went on her journey, I wanted to do something special in my aviation career,” Rutherford told ABC News prior to his record-breaking flight. “But I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. It’s only after she went … she sort of inspired me.”
So why did Mack take the globetrotting adventure? His Twitter account seems to answer the question.
“Mack Rutherford aiming to be the youngest person to fly solo around the world,” the account’s description reads. “Planning to meet inspiring youngsters who make a difference.”
On February 20, Mark Rutherford posted his planned route, in animated form, on YouTube. The itinerary started near Turkey, headed down through Africa, and crossed into Asia and Russia. Next, he flew around North America and hit Greenland before returning to the trip’s starting point.
Mark Rutherford embarked on the trip in March. The trek was supposed to last two to three months.
“It’s real exciting to think that, really soon, I’m going to do something incredible. It’s also, ‘Have I done everything correctly?’” Rutherford told ABC News.
Chuck Yeager would be impressed.
