Teen boy on the journey to conquer the record of flying alone around the world

Mack has just landed his ultralight aircraft in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Mack Rutherford began his journey from an airport in the Bulgarian capital Sofia in March. The young man hopes to break the record for the youngest pilot to fly solo around the world, set by Travis Ludlow last year when he was 18 years old. Sharing his dream after climbing out of his 2-seater ultralight aircraft at Wilson Airport, Mack said:

“I want to set the record for being the youngest pilot to fly solo around the world. I just flew to Nairobi from Lokichogio. I hope that with my journey will inspire young people who are dreaming. You don’t have to wait until you turn 18. You can realize your dreams from a very young age.”

Mack Rutherford is greeted by people upon landing at the airport in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo: Reuters

Mack was born into a family of pilots. Her sister Zara earlier this year set the record for the world’s youngest female pilot to fly solo around the world.

Mack said of the feeling of piloting for the first time: “The first time I actually piloted an airplane was when I was 7 years old. I was scared. But Dad sat right next to me and things just kept getting better. Since then, my passion has grown every day. I really enjoy flying. At 15 years old, I received my pilot’s license and became the youngest pilot in the world.”

Outside of his family, Mack did not receive much support for this journey. Aircraft manufacturer Shark Aero judged this journey too risky and refused to cooperate with the boy’s project. However, so far, Mack has passed half the journey smoothly. The young man said the biggest challenge he had faced so far was the experience of flying over the Sahara desert due to limited visibility by the sand. Regarding the upcoming plan, Mack said he will visit four more countries in Africa and the Indian Ocean, then fly to the Middle East, Asia and North America and finish the journey when returning to Europe.