harsh weather conditions. Due to the same reason, she had to spend a month in Alaska and 41 days in Russia.
Upon her return, she was greeted by her well-wishers, journalists, friends and family who draped the Belgian and British flags on her shoulders, glowing with pride on her remarkable and historic achievement. In order to commemorate the moment, four planes from the Belgian Red Devils Aerobatic Display Team landed alongside her making her return of exquisite grandeur.
“The hardest part was flying over Siberia – it was extremely cold and if the engine was to stall I’d be hours away from rescue. I’m not sure I would have survived,” she said, whilst sharing experiences of her adventure around the world.
She also added that she was looking forward to sharing more of her crazy journey and stories of her time flying across the globe, all whilst adding that she encourages more people to grab any opportunity that allows them to do what they really want to. In fact, Rutherford’s parents, both being pilots themselves, are openly channeling their efforts in providing more opportunities for women wanting to get into STEM.
Rutherford’s circumnavigation included more than 60 stops across five continents, and began on 18 August. She flew a total of 32,000 miles (51 kilometres) making history through her bravery and courage to take on the challenge head on!
The youth empowered by game changers like Rutherford is what is going to bring change into a world struggling to open its opportunities for the youth. Hustlers like her will pave the way for aspiring aviators and chose chasing their dreams to one day achieve what they really wish to, and we cannot wait until this change materializes!
