Zara Rutherford: Teen Pilot Attempts to Break World Record Flying Around the World Solo

• Zara Rutherford, 19-year-old pilot, is on a mission of breaking three Guinness world records in a flight around the world
• The teen, who will join university next year, aims to become the youngest woman to fly around the world solo
• Aside from putting her name in the record books, the daughter of two pilots wants to inspire girls to pursue aviation

Zara Rutherford, a 19-year-old pilot, is attempting to break Guinness World Records in a solo flight around the world.

Three world records

According to her website, the teenager wants to make history by breaking three world records.

She is attempting to become the youngest woman to fly solo around the world, the first woman to circumnavigate the globe in a lightweight aircraft and the first Belgian to circumnavigate the world solo in a single-engine plane.

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Rutherford, who will start university next year, set out on the quest on August 18, 2021, and is scheduled to return to her home country on January 13, 2022.

Speaking to Reuters, the teen said she initially planned on returning to Belgium for Christmas but experienced delays.

"I was stuck in Alaska for a month and in Russia for another month because of visa and weather issues," she said.

On Tuesday, December 14, she landed in Taiwan, and her next destination was the Philippines.

Inspire girls

Rutherford's website states that on completing the 51,000 km journey, she would have travelled to 52 countries on five continents.

Aside from entering the record books, Rutherford, the daughter of two pilots, aspires to spark girls' interest in aviation.

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The current Guinness world record holder for the youngest woman to fly solo around the world was set in 2017 by Shaez Waez, then aged 30.

Teen with biggest mouth

In other news, Briefly News reported that a young boy in the United States became an internet sensation after reclaiming the world record of the largest mouth gape.

Isaac Johnson, a resident of Minnesota in the United States, opened his mouth 10.1cm to set the new record.

Isaac had previously held the record until Phillip Angus broke it in 2019 with a mouth gape of 9.52cm.

Isaac's mouth, which can stretch to an amazing width, can hold a can of coke, a large apple and baseball at once.

Source: Briefly News