Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico – Mack Rutherford, the 17-year-old Belgian-British pilot who stopped in Puerto Vallarta on his solo flight around the world in an ultralight plane, landed on a runway west of Sophia, Bulgaria on Wednesday, completing his 5-month-long journey and claiming the two Guinness World Records he was attempting to win.
In addition to becoming the youngest person to fly solo around the world, Rutherford became the youngest person to fly around the world in an ultralight aircraft. His sister Zara, who completed her own trip around the globe in January at age 19, held the ultralight record.
Rutherford took the age record from Britain’s Travis Ludlow, who was 18 when he flew solo around the world last year.
The record-breaking tour, which began on March 23, took Rutherford through 52 countries on five continents. To meet the requirements established by the Guinness Book of World Records organization, he crossed the equator twice.
Born into a family of aviators, Rutherford earned his pilot’s license in 2020, making him the world’s youngest pilot at the time, at the age of 15.
His solo trip around the world started in Bulgaria because his sponsor, the web hosting company ICDSoft, is based in Sofia and lent him the plane.
Like his sister, Rutherford flew a Shark, one of the fastest ultralight aircraft in the world, with a cruise speed capable of reaching a speed of 300 km/h (186 mph).
The aircraft is normally a two-seater, but was modified for such a long trip, replacing the second seat with an extra tank. The trip was initially planned to take up to three months, but was extended due to various unexpected obstacles along the way, including monsoon rains, sandstorms and extreme heat.