The youngest female pilot to fly solo around the world is coming to Nanaimo.
Zara Rutherford, a Belgian-British aviator, achieved the remarkable milestone in a microlight aircraft over five months from Aug. 21, 2021 to Jan. 20, 2022.
Then 19, she was the youngest woman to accomplish the feat.
Rutherford will be the featured speaker at the B.C. Aviation Council’s annual conference on May 28 at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre in Nanaimo.
The Nanaimo Airport, which is hosting the event, called Rutherford a record-breaking pilot and passionate advocate for women’s empowerment and gender equality. She started undergraduate studies in Stanford University in September 2022.
“Hailing from a family deeply rooted in aviation, Zara is dedicated to carrying forward this legacy and inspiring young women to pursue their aspirations while working to narrow the gender gap in the aviation and [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] fields,” the airport said in a statement.
Tickets for the 6 p.m. dinner event are $99 per person and can be purchased through bcaviationcouncil.org.
