There's nothing like Dubai: 19-yr-old flying solo across the world awed by UAE landscape

The Belgian-British pilot touched down at Expo 2020 Dubai this week after a gruelling nine-hour flight from India

"There's nothing like Dubai in the world," says Zara Rutherford, who is on a mission to set a few Guinness World Records on her microlight aircraft.

A gap year often gives youngsters time to figure out what they want to do in life, and Rutherford has decided to fly solo around the world.

After having flown about 200 hours, stopped in 23 countries across four different continents, the plucky 19-year-old Belgian-British pilot touched down at Expo 2020 Dubai this week after a gruelling nine-hour flight from India.

"I had always dreamt of going on a big adventure; flying around the world is the biggest one that anyone can do. I love flying, and I decided to pursue my dream single-mindedly," Rutherford said.

The young pilot said she was awed by Dubai's landscape that looked incredible from her vantage point.

"There's nothing like Dubai in the world. Its skyscrapers are impressive, and its people are very kind. I'm not used to flying in this sort of climate, and that is unique for me."

"Expo is great. I visited the Women's Pavilion yesterday, and I'm visiting the Slovakia and UAE Pavilions today. All of these were very interesting, and I'd love to come back and have a look at more!" she told Khaleej Times.

Aiming for three Guinness Records

Rutherford aims to set three Guinness World Records: youngest woman to fly solo around the world; first woman to circle the globe in a microlight (a type of lightweight aircraft); and the first Belgian to circumnavigate the world in a single-engine aircraft.

She began her journey from Belgium on August 18, 2021, in her bespoke Shark Aero, a high-performance, two-seater, single-engine ultralight aircraft manufactured in Slovakia. She is scheduled to return to Belgium on January 13, 2022.

According to her website, if she completes her 32,000-mile journey (51,000 km), the young pilot will have travelled to 52 countries and five continents.

Rutherford's journey is unprecedented and incredibly challenging because she does not have any support staff travelling with her.

Her team includes her father, who is based in Belgium and helps her plan her route and organise logistics and landing permits.

No two legs of her journey are the same. She faced extreme weather conditions in Northern Russia; thunderstorms and lightning in Singapore; excessive turbulence and G-force warnings while flying over Alaska; delays in take-off due to smog in India; and communication challenges in Mexico.

Her longest journey was the nine-hour flight from Mumbai to the UAE. She says music keeps her calm during long stretches.

Captain AlHameli said: "I think stories of Zara will not only inspire Emirati women but women all around the world to achieve things which are out of their comfort zone."