Teenage pilot Zara Rutherford begins solo around-the-world record bid

A teenager has begun her journey to be the youngest woman ever to fly around the world solo.

19-year-old Zara Rutherford left Kortrijk in Belgium on Wednesday for the trip, which will span five continents and 52 countries.

The Belgian-British teenager's trip should end early in November, and according to her website, if completed will make her the youngest woman to circumnavigate the globe solo, and the youngest person to do so in a microlight aircraft.

The journey has been chosen to fulfill Guinness World Records’ requirements of an “around-the-world flight”.