NewsNational

Actions

Teenage pilot attempts to be youngest to fly across the globe solo

Pilot
Posted at 10:06 AM, Aug 05, 2022
and last updated 2022-08-05 11:39:32-04

A 17-year-old wants to be the youngest pilot to fly solo around the world. Mack Rutherford started his journey on March 23 in Bulgaria and recently landed in Alaska.

"From there, I flew through Sicily and Crete, then all the way down through Africa," Rutherford told KTUU.

Rutherford added fuel tanks to his plane to help him get across the Pacific. He then embarked on a 10-hour flight and stay on an uninhabited island.

He became a pilot at the age of 15.

Rutherford is following in the footsteps of his sister. At age 19, she was the youngest woman to fly around the world

“I'm trying to show that young people can make a difference," Rutherford told KTUU. "You don't have to be 18 to do something special. Just work towards your dreams and they'll come true. You don't have to wait for them.”