19-year-old on a mission to fly solo around the world makes a stop in Montreal
Belgian-British pilot Zara Rutherford is trying to set a world record and encourage girls to go into aviation
Zara Rutherford was born to be a pilot. With pilots for parents, Rutherford took her first flight at three months old and earned her pilot's license at age 15.
Now, before she turns 20, Rutherford is on a mission to become the youngest woman to fly around the world solo.
The Belgian-British teen is planning to visit 52 countries on five continents over the next three months, and made a stop on Montreal on Wednesday along the way.
The current women's record holder for an around the world solo flight was 30 years old at the time of her flight. The men's record holder was 18.
Addressing a crowd of supporters at the École national d'aérotechnique at Cégep Édouard-Montpetit in Saint-Hubert, Que., Rutherford said she found the age disparity between the men's and women's record holders "ridiculous."
"That 12-year age gap is huge," she told CBC. "So I'm just trying to bring that closer, from 12 years to a few months."
Promoting women in STEM
Part of Rutherford's mission in making this ambitious trip is to encourage young women and girls to follow their passions and serve as a role model.
"When I grew up, there weren't many girls in aviation, or STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), So I'm hoping that with my flights, I can show girls that: 'Look, here's a girl flying, you're not alone, there's someone else out there who loves the same things that you do.'"
Rutherford admits that her decision to embark on this journey does come with its challenges.
But she said the support she's received on her first few stops in the UK, Iceland and Greenland have helped bolster her spirits.
"Sometimes when I'm flying, it can be stressful. And I'm thinking 'why am I doing this? I could be chilling at home right now binge-watching Netflix.' And sometimes I do really wish that. But I come here and there's so many people there to support me, and it makes me remember why I started this in the first place."
Rutherford says listening to podcasts helps her feel less alone while in the air.
"I have like 20 hours worth of podcasts on my phone downloaded," she said. "That way it feels like there's someone talking to me which I really enjoy."
She added that this tactic becomes especially useful during sea crossings, which Rutherford said "are very lonely because you lose radio contact very early on."
When Rutherford departs Montreal on Thursday, her next stop will be New York. After that, her journey will take her to Colombia, Russia, China and India (among many other countries) before heading back to Belgium.
While the ambitious teen jokes that she plans to "sleep for two weeks" when she finally gets home, her real plan is to pursue electrical engineering at university.
Rutherford will continue sharing updates about her progress over the next three months on her website and social media pages.
With files from Rowan Kennedy