Editorial

16-year-old pilot lands in Kenya In pursuit of World Record

A teenage pilot of British and Belgian nationalities on Wednesday landed in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi on a quest to become the youngest person to fly solo around. 16 year-old Mack

16-year-old pilot lands in Kenya In pursuit of World Record
  • PublishedMay 19, 2022

A teenage pilot of British and Belgian nationalities on Wednesday landed in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi on a quest to become the youngest person to fly solo around. 16 year-old Mack Rutherford has been hitting headlines since March this year when he announced to become the youngest person to fly around the world solo.

Rutherford began his journey near Bulgaria’s capital Sofia in March, hoping to inspire aspiring aviators that age should not be a barrier to achieving their goals.

“I’m hoping, with this journey, to inspire young people to follow their dreams,” Mack Rutherford said upon landing at Wilson Airport in Kenya’s capital in his two-seater single prop ultralight aircraft.

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Shark Aero, the manufacturers of the plane Rutherford is using have however refused to partner with the teen deeming the endeavor too risky.

“Mack is no doubt a skilled pilot. However, we do not feel comfortable pushing the age limit to the lowest possible point for journeys where a certain level of risk cannot be avoided,” the company said on its website.

Rutherford plans to fly to four more African and Indian Ocean countries to go before heading to the Middle East, Asia, and North America before returning to Europe.

If he achieves his dream, he will have broken yet another record after he became the world’s youngest pilot aged 15.

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Rutherford whose parents are both pilots is looking to follow into the footsteps of his sister who accomplished a similar fete earlier this year, becoming the youngest woman to fly around the world solo at the age of 19.

Rutherford first took the controls of an aircraft at the age of seven in the company of his father and credits him (his father) for instilling a strong love of aviation in him and his siblings, who were exposed to aircraft at a young age.

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Featured Image: Reuters

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