19 Year Old Woman Begins Attempt Of Solo Around The World Flight

Looks like she made it to Magadan.

That's on the 'sea of Okhotsk where a few years ago another earth-rounder had to ditch in his Pilatus.
 
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so now she has been stuck in Siberia at a dirt runway for a few weeks.
 
I can hardly imagine trying to deal with the cold in that area. At least Zara has internet access. :) Hopefully, she will be able to get further south soon.
 
she is at it again. Finally moved after another 3 week delay. She's almost out of siberia!
 
I just saw that Zara landed where the temps were +2C. First time in positive temps in along time. She has flown her last Russian leg and it looks like she is nearing the home stretch!
 
and now another week+ delay. I think she could walk around the world faster.
 
Last I heard, she was in Russia. Is she still there? Administrative problems vs aeronautical?

Maybe she's a spy, and she's there gathering intelligence for the Americans, or selling it to the Russians!
 
OneCharlieTango said:
Last I heard, she was in Russia. Is she still there? Administrative problems vs aeronautical?
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Administrative, as I understand it. Her next leg is to South Korea, but some kind of paperwork issue is holding up her departure. Hopefully Friday.
 
She mentioned that it is Admin stuff plus a long over the water leg to avoid North Korea
 
Wait why'd she go into korea? How is she going to get a single engine across the pacific ocean? I figured she'd cut through Alaska
 
Derald Madson said:
Wait why'd she go into korea? How is she going to get a single engine across the pacific ocean? I figured she'd cut through Alaska
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Wow. Have you even read anything about her trip or looked at her flight legs? The answers are easily found.
 
The plane plots to a ramp somewhere in Belgium. Made it home !
 
David Megginson said:
Heck of a challenge flying 28,000 nm around the world — mostly in the northern hemisphere's winter — when you're restricted to day VFR.
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If you don't have a job, and someone else is paying and doing all the planning, it's really just a case of sitting around waiting for nice days.
 
Hengelo said:
Come on, she just soloed around the world. That’s a helluva lot more than “sitting around waiting for nice days.”

I’m absolutely green with envy, and impressed.
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As am I. I don't care who was paying for the party, she was the one sat the helm and had the skin in the game. That is a spectacular accomplishment for one so young.
 
As a pilot who is familiar with the internal thoughts involved in night VFR or day IFR across western Pennsylvania, western Maryland, and West Virginia, I can attest that there is a lot of deep concern for the required total reliability on those "VFR Days" that she waited for.

Hours over water, out of sight of land, deep thoughts. Over any frigid water, which much of hers was, fear is inside any thinking person, male or female. Desolate rocky, terrain without any visible roads, the engine is on automatic rough again.

Over 200 hours by yourself has its times of thrill, and accomplishment, but it is not all a joyride. The radio's are a connection with the terrestrial world and people, but do they have accents that are hard to understand?

Envious? Yes, a little bit, but carefully looking back, I don't think that if a sponsor had given me the opportunity, any time in my life, in a plane that small, I would have passed.

Just not willing to bet my life that all the risks would be overcome, the mechanical device surrounding me would not malfunction at a bad time.

My congratulations to a very lucky pilot. Lucky because she had the opportunity. Lucky because the planning did cover solutions to all the problems. Lucky because she had the skills and judgement to carry out the plan, mangled as it was by the nd of her adventure.
 
Mangled?

The original route and planned stops were effected in many ways, as political issues and Covid closed the airspace to her, or even whole countries she planned to land in.

The result was a one month trip that took three months to complete. Other round the world, and even shorter flights have had similar disruptions, and in some cases, the effort was terminated.

Her crew just found new ways to move forward, and finally, she was home.

Do you have any information on the percent of her route was flown on the original route plan?
 
Future interview clip:

"So, why did you fly around the world?" "Well, because I could."
"And what about COVID?" "Yeah, that was a PITA. But just an obstacle."

It's good to see someone still a teenager follow through with something like this. Pretty cool.
 
kath said:
Inspiring! Well done, Zara!
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Few on POA, of any age, could accomplish this. Hell of a start to an aviation career! Or to a life in full. She needs to make a travelogue of those endless mountains in Russia, or the endless deserts, or simply all of it. That would inspire many young people in this world that need something besides the bad news that seems to saturate these days.
 
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