Teen sets record as youngest person to fly around the world

Mack Rutherford, a 17-year-old British-Belgian teen, landed in Bulgaria — and world record books — on Wednesday, becoming the youngest person to chart a course flying around the earth.

"I'm very happy to have been able to complete my five-month journey around the world," Rutherford said in a video posted on Facebook. "With this journey, I'm trying to show that young people can make a difference," he added.

Rutherford departed the Radomir airport near Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, on March 23 in an ultralight aircraft called a Shark.

The plane has a cruising speed of up to 300 kph (186 mph) and has been specially outfitted for a longer journey. While the Shark is normally a two-seater, in lieu of a second seat, the plane has been outfitted with an additional fuel tank.

Where did Rutherford fly?

Returning on Wednesday to his port of embarkation means he traversed the span of the globe, some 54,000 kilometers (33,500 miles). Rutherford crossed the equator twice in keeping with Guinness World Record Book requirements, visiting some 52 countries over five continents.

"It was supposed to take between two to three months, and it's been five months now," Rutherford told the AP. He said the delay in places like Crete and Dubai was "because of paperwork issues, visas, permits, things like that."

Rutherford visited Africa and the Gulf region, where he faced some intense heat, before moving on to India, China, South Korea and Japan, then Alaska, the US West Coast and Mexico, followed by the American East Coast and Canada. From there he flew across the Atlantic Ocean via Iceland, the UK and Belgium.

What else do we know about Rutherford's journey?

For his journey, Rutherford, in a sign of his youth, was accompanied exclusively by a small stuffed teddy bear. He celebrated his 17th birthday in flight.

On Tuesday, before completing the final leg of his journey, he landed at the southern Belgian airstrip Buzet, near the town of Charleroi, where he had his first pilot lessons.

Completing the journey means he smashes last year's record-setting round-the-world flight by 18-year-old Travis Ludlow, a fellow Brit.

What is known about Rutherford's family?

The British-Belgian Rutherford comes from a family of accomplished aviators and first flew a plane when he was seven years old.

At 19, Rutherford's sister Zara became the youngest woman to make the trip around the planet by air, setting the world record on January 20 of this year. She used the same type of aircraft as her brother to make that journey.

Sam Rutherford, Mack and Zara's father, said, "They have got around the world safely, effectively, professionally. And they've shown to other youngsters that you don't have to be 18 even, and certainly not 30, to make a difference and do something and follow your dreams."

ab, ar/sms (AFP, AP)