Teen pilot becomes youngest woman to fly the world solo
Amelia Earhart must be beaming.
A 19-year-old female pilot touched down her microlight Shark UL plane at an airfield in western Belgium last week, claiming the title of the youngest woman to fly solo around the world.
Zara Rutherford began her journey in Belgium on Aug. 18 and headed west with plans to cover 52 countries on five continents, which turned out to be 41 countries because of problems encountered along the way.
On Jan. 20, 155 days later, she landed back in Wevelgem, Belgium.
"With this successful circumnavigation, I am happy not only to break the Guinness World Record of youngest woman flying solo around the world, but also to reduce the gender gap by 11 years between the current youngest male record holder Travis Ludlow, 18 at the time of his record, and the previous female record holder Shaesta Waez, who was 30 when she completed her "Dreams Soar" around-the-world flight," Rutherford said in a statement on the FlyZolo website documenting her journey.
Rutherford's journey was successful, but it didn't go exactly as planned.
While she and her aircraft were well prepared for the record-breaking feat, there were some challenges and setbacks that caused her journey to take two months longer than planned.
All told, she covered 28,000 nautical miles (around 32,000 miles), flew 260 hours, and had 71 takeoffs and landings.
She wore a survival suit and carried a parachute, a personal locator beacon and a life raft for emergencies. Along the way she encountered desert heat, heavy winds, thunderstorms, typhoons, wildfires in California, smog, snow and freezing temperatures like the time she was stuck in Magadan, Russia.
"No this was not another Water Salute in Magadan" explains the note on an Instagram post on Nov. 11. "As she is in ❄️☃️#subarctic conditions by the Sea of #Okhotsk (sometimes reaching subzero temperatures of well below -20°C) her little Shark #plane 🦈 needs de-icing before she can take off. This procedure is critical, as her plane is not equipped with a de-icing system and ice on the wings is a hazard for every #pilot. It's one of the top safety-related concerns in aviation and it's led to hundreds of accidents."
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"The hardest part was flying over Siberia. It was extremely cold and if the engine was to stall, I'd be hours away from rescue," she said during a press conference on Thursday. "I'm not sure I would have survived."
But she made it, sometimes with the support of others. At times her radios did not connect with any controllers for long periods because of the curvature of the Earth. Other times she sought and received guidance from commercial airline pilots.
As part of her journey, Rutherford stopped at Boeing Field in Seattle, which is adjacent to the Museum of Flight. Museum spokesman Ted Huetter worked with her support crew in England to arrange the stop and showed Rutherford the Lockheed Electra type airplane in the museum that Amelia Earhart used for her around-the-world attempt.
"We are so proud of Zara's accomplishment," Sara Fisher, Executive Director of the International Women's Air & Space Museum told TPG. "She's following in the shoes of trailblazing women like Amelia Earhart and Jerrie Mock, who became the first woman to fly around the world almost 60 years ago. Zara is truly an inspiration."
In addition to breaking world records, during her journey Rutherford raised funds for Girls Who Code and helped raise awareness for the role of girls and women in aviation and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Along with Amelia Earhart, Rutherford cites Bessie Coleman (the first African American and Native American to hold a pilot's license), Valentina Tereshkova (the Russian astronaut who was the first woman to go to space), and Lillian Bland — who designed, built, and flew her own plane in 1910 — among her role models.
Because this is the modern world, Rutherford's fans can help celebrate her accomplishment by purchasing FlyZolo merchandise, including apparel, drinkware, bags and caps, and watch a YouTube video documenting her trailblazing route and the coverage she received along the way.
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits.Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.