Mack Rutherford aims to beat his sister’s record!
Two months after his sister Zara set a new world record brother Mack Rutherford is now also on his way to fly round the globe solo in a light aircraft. He has the ambition of improving his sister’s record as the youngest pilot to fly round the globe solo in a light aircraft. Mack is 16. His sister was 19 when she completed her flight in January.
The young Rutherfords grew up in an environment dominated by flying. Both Zara and Mack’s British-Belgian parents are professional pilots. Mack got his pilot’s licence in 2020 at the age of 15 and two months making him the world’s youngest pilot at that time. Together with his father he has completed hundreds of flying hours.
Zara fully supports her brother’s attempt and is part of his support team. “Ahead of every flight she will brief me on possible problems. Nobody can do that better than her” he says.
Truth be told Zara is Mack’s inspiration. When he saw her succeed, he knew he wanted to do the same thing.
Mack today took off from Sofia (Bulgaria) in a Shark ultralight aircraft that can do 300 km/h. Africa is his first destination: the Sahara, the Congolese jungle and Madagascar. He then intends to head north towards Iran and Kazakhstan. The US, Mexico, Canada, Greenland and Scotland are also on his itinerary before he reaches Belgium. You can follow Mack via this website.
During his adventure Mack hopes to meet other youngsters eager to make a difference: “There are countless people my age doing incredible things, but few people are aware of them. Together we can show young people can make a difference!” he says.