British-Belgian teen becomes youngest woman to fly solo round the world

Belgian-British pilot Zara Rutherford, 19, gestures following her landing at Kortrijk-Wevelgem Airport, after a round-the-world trip in a light aircraft. [Reuters]

A British-Belgian teenager became the youngest woman to fly solo around the world on Thursday and the first person to do so in a microlight plane after a five-month, five-continent odyssey in her Shark ultralight.

Nineteen-year-old Zara Rutherford landed back at Kortrijk-Wevelgem Airport in Belgium after flying 51,000 km (32,000 miles) over 52 nations since her Aug. 18 departure in the world's fastest microlight aircraft.