Kinda neat to see a young brother and sister set such lofty goals...and then dedicate themselves to accomplishing them.

Sounds like he had a few adventures along the way.

Excerpt from a different article:

He has a lot of flight experience for someone his age, but he says there’s been a lot to learn on this trip.

“[Flying] is completely different in many parts of the world,” he said. “In Africa, I had quite a few problems with visibility, or mountains, things like that. When I got to India it was monsoon season so [there were] big storms. It’s quite interesting how all these different places have different challenges.”

The challenge near Unalaska? Flying over the mountains and then dropping down to sea level. Rutherford had to make a second attempt at landing. “To get over the mountains I was at 7,500 feet, and then suddenly I had to descend a huge amount because this is basically at sea level. Once I tried to do my approach, I was still too high. I had to go around and try again. The second time I was able to do it,” said Rutherford.

His website
https://macksolo.com/

[Note: embedded video of his sister's completed world record flight and hyperlinks found at linked website article.]

===================

British-Belgian pilot, 17, becomes youngest to fly around the world solo

By Adam Durbin
BBC News

Published
3 days ago


Mack Rutherford, 17, celebrating in his Shark ultralight aircraft after landing near Sofia in Bulgaria on Wednesday

A teenage pilot has become the youngest person to fly solo around the world in a small aircraft.

Mack Rutherford, 17, landed at Sofia in Bulgaria, after a five-month journey across 52 countries.

Along the way, Mack, who was born to British parents but has grown up in Belgium, encountered sandstorms in Sudan and spent the night on an uninhabited Pacific island.

His elder sister Zara is the youngest woman to fly solo around the world.

She completed her own journey in January this year and disclosed that she had "given him advice on the route" as she travelled to Sofia to greet Mack as he returned to the starting point of his trip.

The previous record holder for flying solo was British pilot Travis Ludlow, who was 18 years and 150 days old when he completed his journey last year.



After completing the feat, Mack encouraged others to "follow your dreams, no matter how old you are".

"Work hard and move forward to achieve your goals", he added.

The trip took him through Europe, Asia, Africa, the US, across two oceans, with his plane touching down in the UK at Wick in Scotland and departing from London's Biggin Hill Airport earlier this week.

Mack, who comes from a family of aviators, set off from the Bulgarian capital on 23 March, with the arduous journey seeing the extreme heat in Dubai and unexpected airport closures in India.

The young aviator also said he had slept in a shed beside a runway on an uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean after a "hairy moment" passing through rain and low cloud.

In an earlier interview with CNN while he was part of the way through his journey, Mack described some of the beautiful places he was able to fly past, from wildlife in national parks in Kenya to the New York City skyline.

He added always having "something I can look at" helped him maintain focus in the low-altitude flights - which took up to 11 hours at a time.

Asked what his plans for the future were, Mack said: "I'm going to keep flying. I'm thinking of something like the air force, but I'm nowhere 100% sure on anything.

"After I finish this I've just got to focus on school and try and catch up as much as I can."

As a result of his efforts, he has broken two Guinness World Records - becoming the youngest person to fly around the world solo, as well as the youngest to circumnavigate the globe in a microlight plane.

The teenager flew a Shark - a high-performance ultralight aircraft which can hit a cruising speed of around 186mph (300km/h).



His sister Zara said that she was "constantly" trying to keep in touch and assist her brother while he was in the air.

"Our parents called him every day, and I joined in those conversations.

"I gave him advice on the route, on the flight, so that I could be useful to him."

Mack has previously said he wanted to be a pilot since the age of three and he achieved the feat in September 2020 when he qualified for his licence aged 15.

His father Sam Rutherford is a professional ferry pilot, while his mother Beatrice is a private pilot.

And Mack's website explains that aviation goes back five generations in his family - describing his great-great-grandmother as being "amongst the first South African women to learn to fly".

Mack holds both British and Belgium nationality and has lived most of his life in Belgium.

He is currently being educated at the private Sherborne School in Dorset, whose website has been following his progress around the world. It also carries Mack's personal statement, in which he says "you don't need to be an adult to do incredible things".

quote:

He is currently being educated at the private Sherborne School in Dorset, whose website has been following his progress around the world. It also carries Mack's personal statement, in which he says "you don't need to be an adult to do incredible things".

but it is important that your family be incredibly wealthy.

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:

quote:

He is currently being educated at the private Sherborne School in Dorset, whose website has been following his progress around the world. It also carries Mack's personal statement, in which he says "you don't need to be an adult to do incredible things".

but it is important that your family be incredibly wealthy.

You mean like the 21,951,000 millionaires in the USA today?

Today, it's more attainable than ever. The number of millionaires grows every year, and you may be surprised at how many there are in the U.S. today. The Global Wealth Report from Credit Suisse says there were 21,951,000 millionaires in the U.S. at the end of 2020.

Yup, thanks to inflation, I will (hopefully) be a millionaire when I retire and will know where to get the best ramen.

quote:

Originally posted by tacfoley:
You mean like the 21,951,000 millionaires in the USA today?

Today, it's more attainable than ever. The number of millionaires grows every year, and you may be surprised at how many there are in the U.S. today. The Global Wealth Report from Credit Suisse says there were 21,951,000 millionaires in the U.S. at the end of 2020.

Interestingly enough, while Credit Suisse says 21,951,000 millionaires in the US, Fortune Magazine says 7.5 million. I suspect the difference is in how net worth is calculated. Fortune excluded primary residence and collectibles and cars. I'd be willing to bet Credit Suisse included them.

I wonder how many members of this board are millionaires if you exclude their primary residence and collectibles and cars. In other words, cash and stocks/bonds.

https://fortune.com/2022/06/14...h-most-millionaires/

The number of U.S. millionaires grew from 6.6 million in 2020 to 7.5 million in 2021, reflecting a 13.5% increase, according to Capgemini’s World Wealth Report 2022. Not only did more Americans enter the elite ranks of the high-net-worth (HNW) population in 2021, but the rich got richer, with their net worths increasing by about 14%. The growth was mostly spurred by investments in the stock market, with a particular focus on the technology sector.

In order to be considered HNW, individuals must have a net worth of more than $1 million, excluding their primary residence, as well as assets like collectibles and cars.

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:

Interestingly enough, while Credit Suisse says 21,951,000 millionaires in the US, Fortune Magazine says 7.5 million. I suspect the difference is in how net worth is calculated. Fortune excluded primary residence and collectibles and cars. I'd be willing to bet Credit Suisse included them.[quote]
The math says it's the other way around.

[quote]I wonder how many members of this board are millionaires if you exclude their primary residence and collectibles and cars. In other words, cash and stocks/bonds.

I think it is two things, the hugely inflated values of real property, especially family homes, and the amount of deferred income invested in 401K's, IRA's, etc. Note that the former is sensitive to the vagaries of the real estate market, and the latter is subject to taxation when it is distributed, so both should be discounted in an "effective net worth" calculation.

Being a "millionaire" isn't what it used to be when cultural icons like Jane Russel, Lauren Bacall, and Marilyn Monroe were ostensibly on the prowl for one. Darva Conger (remember her?) managed to single-handedly quash many young womens' fantasies about the realities of such success.