British-Belgian Zara Rutherford, 19, embarked on a journey to fly around the world solo in 90 days in an ultra light jet on Thursday, the BBC reported. If she succeeds she will be the youngest woman to ever achieve this.
"I am very nervous," she told N12 just before she left. "I struggle to really realize that I'm leaving in an hour."
According to N12, both of Zara's parents are also pilots, so Zara has been familiar with planes since a very young age. At 11, she parachuted for the first time, and at 14 she began flying lessons, which she completed last year.
"Growing up, I loved aviation and STEM - science, technology, engineering and mathematics - but I didn't see many other women or girls doing that. I just always thought that was quite sad or discouraging," Rutherford told Reuters. "I'm hoping that I can encourage girls to go into this field."
Asked how he feels, her father Sam replied that he is "happy and proud," adding that Zara is "going to do great."
Beatrice, Zara's mother, added that "as a mother, you cannot keep your chicks under you wing forever. There comes a point when you have to say 'okay, fly.'"
Zara took off on Thursday from the west of Belgium, heading to her first stop in Scotland. The route spans over five continents and 52 countries with 70 planned stops. Her plan is to fly five to six hours a day with two days a week for rest and mechanical care for the plane.
According to the BBC report, the route was chosen to fulfill the Guinness World Records requirements for "around the world."
"You spend a very long time in the plane by yourself," said Zara. "It probably gets quite lonely." She is taking in fatigue as a factor, she said, but will make sure that she is well rested.
In order to make sure she does not cheat for the Guinness World Record, the second seat in the plane has been replaced with an extra gas tank.
For Zara's dreams, the skies are not the limit. When she finishes her studies in computer sciences, Zara has her sights set on space.
"I love adventure, and I think space is probably the biggest adventure out there," she told Reuters.