Zara Rutherford, 19, has become the youngest woman to fly solo around the world, breaking a Guinness World Record. She also became the first woman to circumnavigate the world solo in a microlight. One of her stops included King County International Airport on September 19, shown at right. Her journey lasted 199 days and took her to five continents and 41 countries.
“I’m very lucky, both my parents are pilots. That’s where my interest in aviation started,” Rutherford said at a press conference in Belgium at the end of her journey on January 20.
Rutherford said she hasn’t seen many women pilots. She wanted to change that and serve as an inspiration for other young women and girls. She was finishing school and her plan to fly around the world came together with sponsors and support from around the world.
“This is the perfect opportunity to do something crazy,” she said.
She flew a Shark ultralight aircraft, designed with help of Czech engineers and produced in Slovakia.
Facts and Figures (from @FlyZolo, Rutherford’s Facebook feed):
- Total distance: 52,080.3 km (28,121 nautical miles)
- Total time in the air: 260 hours
- Takeoffs and landings: 71 (69 stops, including 10 diversions to an airfield other than planned; 2 returns to the same airfield)
- Longest flight: 2000 km (1080 nautical miles)
- Longest flight over water: 1861 km (1005 nautical miles)
- Highest altitude: 4200 meters (13,800 ft), over Greenland
- Continents visited: 5
- Countries visited: 41
- Highest temperature in flight: +36°C (Colombia)
- Lowest temperature in flight: -25°C (Ayan, Siberia, Russia), dropping to -35°C at night
Read more about Rutherford’s journey. You can also see a montage of her accomplishments on Facebook.
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 Zara Rutherford, 19, and Shaesta Waiz, the previous Guinness World record holder of the youngest woman flying solo around the world. In 2017, Waiz was 30 when she broke the world record.
Speaking of women aviation leaders, Alyssa Dean, Ciara Gamble and Liz Evans plan to attend the Women in Aviation Conference in Nashville, TN in March. Watch for details about their experience in the April Plane Talk.
 Deputies Benjamin Johnson, left, and Scott Tompkins, right, are the newest deputies in the Aircraft Rescue & Firefighting Unit (ARFF). Each brings more than a decade of work in law enforcement. They are both gaining fire fighting experience in the fire academy.
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After a pause due to COVID-19, the Northwest Aviation Conference and Trade Show is set to resume in person at the Puyallup Fairgrounds February 26 and 27. Several employees from KCIA will staff the booth during the show. At left, the airport's booth at the 2019 event. The 2021 show was cancelled. |
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On February 2, deputies with the King County Sheriff's Office K-9 unit held a training exercise at KCIA with their dogs. The four-footed officers went on patrol to sniff out "suspicious" material that was planted in various areas throughout the terminal. Training opportunities like this one help both human and canine officers keep their skills sharp. |
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