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

Damn, she’s doing it in a Rotax powered LSA. Anyone know if a similar type plane has ever been used to an around the world attempt.

I wish her a safe and successful trip.
 
I don't know what 'self depracating' means but it doesn't sound complimentary.
 
eman1200 said:
yeah, but this is a girl. so we have to give it extra special attention and praise. the other times it was done by a pilot. this time it's done by a woman.

(eman ducks for cover)
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I get the humor but honestly. Who cares what’s in the pilots pants. Seems demeaning to emphasize that it’s special somehow because the girl was able to do it… I know lots of women that fly all over the world. Gasp
But I guess it’s good press and highlights that the world is everyone’s oyster.
 
eman1200 said:
yeah, but this is a girl. so we have to give it extra special attention and praise. the other times it was done by a pilot. this time it's done by a woman.

(eman ducks for cover)
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Dude, this is our future wife! Don't denigrate her!

(You're mowing the lawn and changing diapers. I'm drinking beers by the grill.)
 
Anyone ever hear of James Ketchel??


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FYI her plane has retractable gear therefor it is not an LSA it might be however a microlight!
 
Makes a lot of sense. One of the hardest parts of these world rounder flights is getting 100ll. I assume mogas for the rotax would be much easier to source and much cheaper.

I always have mixed feelings on these. I'm genuinly happy for them. I'm jealous, too. I also realize that flying around the world isn't that hard these days. Planning and paying for it are very hard. Without knowing what's going on behind the scenes it's hard to get real excited; is it her dream & achievement or her parent's?

Or maybe I'm just jealous.
 
I hope she reaches her goal, as societies all over the globe seem to be becoming less and less friendly maybe its a "now or never" thing, despite the COVID issue.
 
Got her pilot's license in 2020 and now she's ready to fly around the world....

(Yes I did see she started flying at 14)
 
Jim K said:
Makes a lot of sense. One of the hardest parts of these world rounder flights is getting 100ll. I assume mogas for the rotax would be much easier to source and much cheaper.

I always have mixed feelings on these. I'm genuinly happy for them. I'm jealous, too. I also realize that flying around the world isn't that hard these days. Planning and paying for it are very hard. Without knowing what's going on behind the scenes it's hard to get real excited; is it her dream & achievement or her parent's?

Or maybe I'm just jealous.
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At 19, I think it's safe to assume it's her dream. 19 year olds aren't exactly eager to follow their parents' suggestions (speaking from experience as both a former 19 year old and a parent).

I think the actual flying part is still harder than you'd guess. For example, much of the world does not have composite weather radar coverage, so she's not going to be seeing the weather painted ahead of her the way you would using ADS-B or SiriusXM in the U.S. (or the southern parts of Canada).

I'd think customs would be one of the other big challenges. The paperwork for entering or transiting some countries is insane. Maybe she has an agent handling that for her.
 
Her dad runs an aviation logistics company. He has come quite late to the "supporting women in aviation" thing.

In 2011 a female doctor who I flew for as a volunteer leased his diesel 182 for a 4 month trip through Africa training remote medical staff in maternity procedures, donating equipment etc. He capitalised on the fact that he had the only diesel 182 around in order to siphon the vast majority of the project's funding into his own pocket; he charged $500 an hour, dry, not including maintenance or insurance. When he delivered the aircraft to us it didn't have the right paperwork, and was much later than promised, delaying activities. Things didn't get better from there.

No doubt his daughter is having her aircraft provided at no cost to the Rutherfords. I would classify Dr Webster's flight as more worthy of support, but it's all about the PR.
 
David Megginson said:
I think the actual flying part is still harder than you'd guess. For example, much of the world does not have composite weather radar coverage, so she's not going to be seeing the weather painted ahead of her the way you would using ADS-B or SiriusXM in the U.S. (or the southern parts of Canada).

I'd think customs would be one of the other big challenges. The paperwork for entering or transiting some countries is insane. Maybe she has an agent handling that for her.
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The weather-flying is relatively easy these days when you have the option of real time updates and direction over satellite messenger such as InReach.

The permits etc are all being done by White Rose Aviation, a very experienced company (and very professional).

I imagine all the ground stuff is being done courtesy of her dad's extensive network in aviation.

The route they have chosen is definitely more adventurous and interesting than the British 17 year old earlier this year.
 
Katamarino said:
Her dad runs an aviation logistics company. He has come quite late to the "supporting women in aviation" thing.

In 2011 a female doctor who I flew for as a volunteer leased his diesel 182 for a 4 month trip through Africa training remote medical staff in maternity procedures, donating equipment etc. He capitalised on the fact that he had the only diesel 182 around in order to siphon the vast majority of the project's funding into his own pocket; he charged $500 an hour, dry, not including maintenance or insurance. When he delivered the aircraft to us it didn't have the right paperwork, and was much later than promised, delaying activities. Things didn't get better from there.

No doubt his daughter is having her aircraft provided at no cost to the Rutherfords. I would classify Dr Webster's flight as more worthy of support, but it's all about the PR.
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Exactly the reason I find it hard to get excited about these things....
 
Lowflynjack said:
I want to be treated equally, but look at me because I'm different.
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With respect, maybe give that kind of thing a rest here. The press also made a big deal when the youngest male flew solo around the world a few weeks: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-57641567

People who keep records are always looking for distinctions, however trivial: first man, first woman, youngest person, oldest person, first disabled person, first ordained priest, first Australian, etc. etc. It's not a symptom of any broader social ills that you're hinting at, just normal media fluff. And anyway, good for Zara (and good for Travis last month).
 
David Megginson said:
With respect, maybe give that kind of thing a rest here. The press also made a big deal when the youngest male flew solo around the world a few weeks: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-57641567

People who keep records are always looking for distinctions, however trivial: first man, first woman, youngest person, oldest person, first disabled person, first ordained priest, first Australian, etc. etc. It's not a symptom of any broader social ills that you're hinting at, just normal media fluff. And anyway, good for Zara (and good for Travis last month).
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It is good for her. Not sure how noteworthy it is though for the reasons mentioned by others.
 
Lowflynjack said:
I want to be treated equally, but look at me because I'm different.

(Jack ducks for cover)
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At least she looks like she IS a girl and not just "identifying" as one...

I wish her well. Going into JFK, I hope her ATC skills are sharp. Wonder if they'll waive the usual fees?
 
Salty said:
It is good for her. Not sure how noteworthy it is though for the reasons mentioned by others.
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I personally don't think any of these record attempts is real news, but I don't think hers is any less so because she's female. There are always qualifiers attached.

Even Lindburgh wasn't the first to fly across the Atlantic, or even the first to fly across the Atlantic non-stop; he was only the first to fly across the Atlantic solo and non-stop to continental Europe (rather than the British Isles). Alcock and Brown had done the first non-stop trans-Atlantic flight in 1919, and there had been a good number of crossings between them and Lindbergh in 1927. But the press needed a hero (and there was a big prize at stake), so they decided to make a big deal of that specific combination of special conditions, and Lindbergh is the one everyone remembers while most of the rest are forgotten.
 
David Megginson said:
People who keep records are always looking for distinctions, however trivial: first man, first woman, youngest person, oldest person, first disabled person, first ordained priest, first Australian, etc. etc. It's not a symptom of any broader social ills that you're hinting at, just normal media fluff. And anyway, good for Zara (and good for Travis last month).
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...making one question whether these distinctions are relevant, antiquated, or even harmful?
 
eman1200 said:
which exactly supports my initial statement....this headline reads "teen PILOT...", not "female pilot......". although the title does state his name, but who knows these days.
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It's true that male is still often the assumed default still in the media -- for example, in soccer, they talk about the World Cup for men, but the Women's World Cup for women — but it's gradually getting better.

And it is sad to see that some people in the forum are looking for subtle ways to belittle Zara or minimize what she's doing. I agree that these kinds of records don't matter much in the greater scheme of things, any more than all the silly, overly-specific speed records set places like the Reno Air Races, but let's at least not single out individual people to belittle them because it makes us uncomfortable seeing that kind of person in the pilot's seat getting attention.
 
David Megginson said:
It's true that male is still often the assumed default still in the media -- for example, in soccer, they talk about the World Cup for men, but the Women's World Cup for women — but it's gradually getting better.

And it is sad to see that some people in the forum are looking for subtle ways to belittle Zara or minimize what she's doing. I agree that these kinds of records don't matter much in the greater scheme of things, any more than all the silly, overly-specific speed records set places like the Reno Air Races, but let's at least not single out individual people to belittle them because it makes us uncomfortable seeing that kind of person in the pilot's seat getting attention.
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lol classic reply. no one is belittling her. the topic is equality, nothing really to do with her specifically. she's a pilot. we're pilots. a(nother) pilot is flying around the world. that should be the headline.
 
eman1200 said:
lol classic reply. no one is belittling her. the topic is equality, nothing really to do with her specifically. she's a pilot. we're pilots. a(nother) pilot is flying around the world. that should be the headline.
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I don't recall the topic of equality being part of the news story. It's something people brought in from the outside to make some kind of unrelated political point.
 
David Megginson said:
I don't recall the topic of equality being part of the news story. It's something people brought in from the outside to make some kind of unrelated political point.
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you're so out of touch with what's going on here I'll just bail out of this mess of a conversation now.
 
Dear Zara,

I've just learned that you're embarking on a round-the-world adventure! How exciting, and I wish you all the best for a safe and successful flight!

People will try to denigrate your effort -- to say it is "just a PR stunt" or "attention seeking", or that kind of thing. I'm a member of an online pilot community that does this often with regard to such efforts, especially by young people. But when it's done by a woman, they often additionally use her gender as a basis for unfair snark and lip, or as a backhanded way to suggest that she should shut up about her cause, and the conversation takes the kind of turn that makes it obvious (to me, anyway) exactly why such efforts are necessary and positive.

I know that the visibility of attempting a world record, not to mention representing women in aviation (whatever that means to you), can be a lot of pressure, and I hope you'll exercise good judgement throughout the flight. For my part at least, I'm glad you're out there making the attempt -- whether it ends in circumnavigation or not, as long as you have a safe story at the end of the day. Visibility does make a difference.

All the best, good luck, and have fun!

--Kath
 
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