VOA新闻杂志2022--17岁创造单人环球飞行纪录

17-year-old Sets Record for Flying Alone Around the World

A 17-year-old pilot has become the youngest person to fly alone around the world.

Mack Rutherford, who holds British and Belgian citizenship¹, completed his trip Wednesday. He landed his small plane in Bulgaria's capital, Sofia. That is also where he started his trip five months ago.

Rutherford, who turned 17 during his trip, broke the Guinness World Record for youngest male to fly around the world. That record had been held by Travis Ludlow of Britain. Ludlow was 18 when he made his flight around the world last year.

Rutherford also became the youngest person to fly around the world in an ultralight plane. His sister, Zara, finished her own around-the-world flight in January at age 19. Until Wednesday, she held the ultralight record. Zara also set the record as the youngest woman to fly alone around the world.

His trip, which began March 23, took Rutherford through 52 countries across five continents. To set a mark recognized by the Guinness World Records, he crossed the equator² twice.

Rutherford was born into a family of flyers. He earned his pilot's license³ in 2020, becoming the youngest pilot in the world at the age of 15.

His trip around the world started in Sofia on a plane owned by the internet company ICDSoft. The ultralight plane, called Shark, can travel at the speed of 300 kilometers per hour. Normally⁴ a two-seater, the plane was changed for his long trip by replacing the second seat with an extra fuel container.

Rutherford first planned to make the trip in three months. But it lasted longer because of several barriers, including rainstorms, sandstorms and extreme heat. Most of the delays were caused by waits to get permits and other documents required for keeping with the flight plan.

The flight took him through Africa and the Gulf⁵ area to India, China, South Korea, and Japan. He crossed the northern Pacific and landed after 10 straight hours in the air on a volcanic⁶ island near the Bering Strait.

From there, he headed to Alaska and down the West Coast of the United States to Mexico. Then he headed north again along the U.S. East Coast to Canada, and across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe.

On Wednesday, a huge crowd of people welcomed Rutherford and celebrated⁷ his achievements.

His father, Sam Rutherford, said he was extremely happy and proud of his children's achievements. He told reporters that such an event helps show other children they should follow their dreams.

His sister, Zara, said she kept in close touch with her younger brother during his flight.

"While he was flying, I constantly tried to keep in touch and help him," she said. "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."

Words in This Story

ultralight - adj. extremely lightweight

replace - v. to put something new in place of

achievement - n. the state or condition of accomplishing something

constantly - adv. happening all the time

conversation - n. talk between two people or a small group

1 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

2 equator   

n.赤道，（平分球形物体的面的）圆

参考例句：

• Singapore is near the equator.新加坡位于赤道附近。
• The United States is north of the equator.美国位于赤道以北。

3 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

4 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

5 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

6 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

7 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。