Teenage pilot stops in Montreal en route to world record

MONTREAL -

Belgian teenage pilot Zara Rutherford is one week into her record setting quest.

Her trip will take her above 52 countries, and if successful it will make her the youngest woman to fly solo around the world.

“For me it was a dream I had for a long time,” Rutherford said. “It was something I always thought would be impossible and so I decided to just tell my parents about it.”

She touched down at Saint-Hubert airport around noon Friday and was greeted by cheers from a large crowd.

“The current women’s record holder was 30 years old at the time of her flight. The men’s record holder was 18. This was for around the world for [the] youngest person,” Rutherford said. “That 12 year age gap was huge. I find it ridiculous to be honest. So I’m just sort of hoping to bring it from 12 years to a few months.”

She also hopes her pursuit will motivate more women and girls to take up aviation.

“I’m hoping that with my flight I can show girls, 'look here’s a girl flying. You’re not alone, there’s someone else out there who loves the same things that you do.'”

The Ecole Nationale d’Aerotechnique (ENA) wants more women to enroll in their programs.

“The message that she’s transmitting is directly in line with what we want to do here,” said Pascal Desilets, ENA flight school director. “Having more girls, more women coming in the aerospace industry. Actually right now its only 10 per cent of the students that we have here that are women.”

For student Maya Cantin, it’s visits like these that will keep her motivated for years to come.

“It is really amazing. I think it’s very inspiring," Cantin said. “I’m very proud to be a women in aviation especially on days like today. I’m proud to be part of all of this. I’m so glad I’m here right now.”

Rutherford’s next destination is New York and her final stop is in November in Belgium.