JAKARTA - Pilot Zara Rutherford (19) begins his journey around the world. Not an ordinary trip, but by making a solo flight, aka flying your own plane.
Aiming to break the record for becoming the youngest female solo pilot to travel the world, Rutherford began her journey on Wednesday 18 August by taking off from Bandar Kortrijk-Wevelgem, Belgium in her Shark ultralight aircraft, the world's fastest microlight aircraft.
The UK - Belgium aviator hopes his journey will encourage more girls to study and work in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields. At the same time sparked the interest of girls in aviation.
"Growing up, I loved aviation and STEM. But I didn't see many other women or girls doing that. I always thought it was pretty sad or disappointing," Rutherford told Reuters.
"I hope I can encourage girls to get into this field," continued the girl who if her dream later after successfully traveling the world is to become an astronaut.
Rutherford is bidding to win the title from Shaesta Wais, who became the youngest woman to fly solo around the world at the age of 30. Meanwhile, the youngest male record holder, Mason Andrews, was 18 when he made the trip.
Rutherford's route will take about three months, with stops in 52 countries - including Greenland, China and Nicaragua, where he will be staying with local family or at a hotel.
Based on his itinerary uploaded on the flyzolo.com website, Rutherford explored Belgium, England, Iceland, Greenland, Canada, the east coast of the United States, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, the west coast of the United States.
His journey will continue to Russia, Mongolia, China, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. In Indonesia, Rutherford will stop in Pontianak on October 11 and Jambi on October 12 to then rest before starting his journey again on October 14.
Rutherford will then travel to Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Greece, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Czech, Germany, France and arrive back in Belgium on November 4. Rutherford's journey can be followed on the flyzolo.com website.
"I will fly the Shark. This is a high-performance ultralight aircraft produced in Europe. It is very fast with a cruising speed of 300 kilometers per hour. The aircraft has been specially prepared for such a long journey," he quoted The National News.
Born to parents who are both pilots, Rutherford will start college next year, with dreams of becoming an astronaut. "I love adventure, and I think outer space is probably the biggest adventure out there," he said.
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