Debra Hale
This week, Fort Worth was able to help 17-year-old Mack Rutherford as he strives to beat the world record to be the youngest person to fly solo around the world.
Rutherford, who’s no stranger to world records, having previously become the world’s youngest pilot at 15, took on the ambitious endeavor to fly solo around the world in March. Lifting off from his homeland in Sofia, Bulgaria, Rutherford has now been to 52 countries and five continents. On Thursday, Rutherford flew from Mexico to Fort Worth’s Alliance Airport, where locals were in attendance to cheer him on.
“It’s pretty special to be up there,” Rutherford says. “It’s an experience that is very different from others. When driving a car, you’re limited by where you can go by road, but in the air, you can basically go anywhere you want. It’s a freeing aspect of flying.”
Debra Hale
Coming from a family of pilots, this isn’t Rutherford’s first rodeo flying solo. He flew with his dad when he was 11 and, as previously mentioned, got his microlight pilot’s license when he turned 15. It wasn’t a big jump to want to be the youngest person in the world to fly around the world on a solo flight; an 18-year-old holds the current record.
“I want to use the opportunity to meet young people on my route who do incredible
things, making a difference to their communities or even to the world,” Rutherford shares on his flight tracking website. “Often, few people know about them. Together we can show that young people make a difference.”
Rutherford has two more weeks left of flying before it can be called an official win. The last legs of his trip include the mainland of Mexico and Texas, New York, Canada, Greenland, and Iceland. Then, he’ll cross the Atlantic to Scotland before continuing through England and on to Belgium and returning home to Sofia. Those interested in Rutherford’s final days in the air can check out his circumnavigation.
Update: Mack Rutherford, 17, remains on pace to becoming the youngest pilot to make a solo trip around the world. Rutherford, who made a stop at Fort Worth’s Alliance Airport on Aug. 12, is scheduled to return to his native Bulgaria on Aug. 24.
