The Paper's reporter Qian Chengxi reported comprehensively
Recently, a 17-year-old British teenager became the youngest pilot in the world to fly a small plane solo around the world.
On March 23, Mack Rutherford took off from Bulgaria, spanning 52 countries over a five-month period, and on August 24, he flew his Shark Aero, a modified ultralight aircraft with extra fuel, into Sofia Airport, southwest of the Bulgarian capital, and landed successfully, bringing the round-the-world flight to a successful conclusion and making himself the world's youngest global pilot. When he set out, he wasn't even 17 years old.
Mike landed smoothly
Interviewed on the tarmac, Mike said he was both excited and a little frustrated when the journey was over. "I love the unparalleled sense of freedom in the air."
He flew nearly 30,000 miles (about 48,000 kilometers). Starting with Bulgaria, he flew to Italy, followed by Greece. In May he reached North Africa via Kenya and Tanzania, followed by Madagascar and Mauritius. Along the way, he crossed Europe, Africa, Asia, the United States, and crossed two oceans.
The plane cruised at about 186 miles per hour (about 300 kilometers), and he was bored most of the time in the cabin. To this end, he prepared a music playlist that lasted up to 24 hours. He was more looking forward to a good look at the beautiful earth from the sky. Before flying, Mike said he was looking forward to seeing the Sahara Desert, the rainforest of Congo, and the mountains of Iran. And he got his wish during the flight, seeing spectacular wildlife migration over Kenya, and in New York he saw the beautiful city skyline, skimming the top of the Statue of Liberty. "There's always something I can see to help me stay focused on low-flying flights."
Mike was only 16 years old when he set out
Of course, flying around the world also brings many challenges, such as the sandstorm in Sudan and the extreme heat in Dubai. He also encountered airport closures and bad weather during the rainy season in India. Delays in documents such as permits were commonplace, and rejections occurred from time to time, at which point he had to change his intended route.
The "creepiest moment" is on an uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean. On the way from Japan to Alaska, he flew the small plane across the Bering Sea for 11 hours without interruption. "After 11 hours, I arrived at the island, it was starting to get dark and I had to land. The clouds were low, it was raining, there were no lights on the runway, and it was pitch black all around. ”
"This island is now uninhabited, and in case something happens, I'll have to rely on myself." He said. That night, he slept in a small shed by the runway, which had been abandoned for more than 10 years, with only the last food left: Oreo cookies and a protein stick.
Mike said he wanted to be a pilot since he was 3 years old. His father was a British Army helicopter pilot, and his mother was a lawyer from Belgium, but he also loved flying in his spare time. At the age of 15, Mike obtained a pilot's license for a small aircraft, making him the youngest pilot in the world.
Sister Zara is also a good flyer
His sister, Zara Rutherford, also loves to fly, and in January, at the age of 19, she also flew a small plane, becoming the youngest woman to travel the world.
Before Rutherford, the record for the youngest solo flyer to travel the world was held by Briton Travis Ludlow. He set that record in 2021, when he was just 18 years old, and flew 24,900 miles (40,000 kilometers) in just 44 days.
Editor-in-Charge: Ying Xu
Proofreader: Zhang Liangliang