A 17-year-old has become the youngest person to fly around the world solo.
Mack Rutherford flew through 52 countries over five continents, crossing the equator twice.
He took off from Bulgaria on 23 March this year. On Wednesday, he landed as scheduled on an airstrip west of Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia, where he had started his journey.
He beat a record held by his sister, Zara, who became the youngest person, and the youngest woman ever, to fly around the world in an ultralight plane, aged 19, in January this year.
He has also beaten the Guinness World Record for the youngest person to fly around the world solo, previously held by a Briton, Travis Ludlow, who completed the feat aged 18 years and 150 days. Rutherford turned 17 during the trip.
He revealed that challenges he had faced included sandstorms in Sudan, extreme heat in Dubai, airport closures in India, monsoon rains, and several technical issues.
Most of the delays were caused by hold-ups in obtaining permits and other documents or having to alter scheduled routes if they were rejected.
