【こぼれ話】１７歳、単独世界一周飛行　最年少記録達成

【ラドミルＡＦＰ＝時事】世界一周飛行に挑戦していた英国系ベルギー人のマック・ラザフォードさん（１７）が２４日、出発地点のブルガリアの空港に５か月と１日ぶりに帰還した。単独での世界一周飛行の最年少記録となり、ギネス世界記録に認定された。（写真は単独世界一周飛行の最年少記録を打ち立て、ギネス世界記録の認定証を手にしたマック・ラザフォードさん。ブルガリア・ラドミル近郊の空港で）
　ラザフォードさんがブルガリア・ラドミル近郊の空港を出発したのは今年３月。同じ空港で家族に出迎えられたラザフォードさんは「夢を追い掛ければ何かを変えられることを若い人たちに示したい」と話した。
　飛行距離は５万４０００キロ、飛行時間は２２１時間に及んだ。横断した国の数は３０か国。気温が４８度に達した場所もあった。領空通過許可を得るために長時間待たされたり、強風を避けるため米アラスカ州西部の無人島、アッツ島に着陸したりしたこともあった。
　ロシアによるウクライナ侵攻の影響で飛行ルートの変更も余儀なくされた。ロシア上空は避け、代わりにパキスタン、インド、中国、韓国、日本と迂回（うかい）ルートを取り、さらに太平洋を１０時間かけて横断して米国に到達。「一番大変な区間だった」とラザフォードさんは振り返った。
　母親のベアトリス・デシュメトさんはＡＦＰに、「こうした旅ではあらゆるレベルでの冷静さが求められる。感情やストレスを制御できなければならない」とコメント。元軍操縦士の父親のサム・ラザフォードさんは「息子は見事にそれをやってのけた」と語った。
　パイロット一家に生まれたラザフォードさんが初めて操縦桿（かん）を握ったのは、７歳の時。姉のザラさんも今年１月、１９歳で超軽量小型飛行機による世界一周単独飛行の最年少記録を達成していたが、ラザフォードさんはその記録を更新した。
　ザラさんは「とてもうれしい」と弟を称賛した。ザラさんは、女性最年少という記録は依然保持している。
　「自分が塗り替えたい記録は今のところはない」とラザフォードさん。「学校に戻って遅れを取り戻したい」と語った。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/08/26-11:58）

Mack Rutherford, a British-Belgian 17-year-old, landed in Bulgaria on Wednesday to become the youngest person to fly solo around the world.
Five months and a day after taking off from Bulgaria in March, Rutherford returned to the small airport near the town of Radomir, an hour from the capital Sofia, to claim his record.
I am trying to show with this trip that young people can make a difference, just follow your dreams, the teenager said after landing.
I am not sure there are any other records I want to break at all, I just want to go back to school to catch up, he added.
Dressed in an airman's suit, with his dark curly hair tamed by a blue cap, the slight teenager voiced regret that the adventure was over, describing a definite sense of freedom when you are flying.
Rutherford comes from a line of pilots. His family boasts four generations of flyers, and Mack got his first taste of being at the controls when he was just seven.
His record-breaking flight covered 54,000 kilometres (34,000 miles) in 221 hours of flying time across 30 countries.
He had to face temperatures of up to 48 degrees, not least during the many hours spent waiting for overflight authorisations.
His solo ordeal also included a forced landing on the uninhabited island of Attu, west of Alaska, due to strong winds.
- Ukraine war changed plans -
His sister and parents, who were at the Radomir airport to greet the young aviator, also said his food supply had become soaked with fuel at one stage, forcing him to make do with some chocolate cakes.
Even before Rutherford took off in March, his preparations were upended by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, forcing a change in the flight path.
Instead of flying over Russia, Rutherford diverted south through Pakistan, India, South Korea and Japan before flying for 10 hours over the Pacific Ocean to reach the United States: The most difficult stage, he said.
This kind of journey requires a lot of control at all levels, you have to be able to control your emotions, your stress, his mother, Beatrice de Smet told AFP.
He did it like a boss, said Sam Rutherford, the adventurer's father and a retired military pilot.
Mack Rutherford's feat was recognised by the Guinness World Records group, with a certificate confirming that he had beaten the record set last year by 18-year-old Travis Ludlow of Britain.
He also achieved the feat in an ultralight aircraft, taking the record from his sister Zara as the youngest pilot to do so.
A good loser, Zara said she was very happy for her brother.
She remains the youngest woman to complete a solo round-the-world flight, which she did at the start of the year at the age of 19.