Sixteen-year-old Mack Rutherford's journey to become the youngest solo pilot to circumnavigate the globe stopped off in Muscat on Wednesday — with the ambitious teenager saying he wanted to show young people that nothing is impossible.
Mack, who has British and Belgian citizenship, started his journey near the Bulgarian capital Sofia on March 23 and is hoping his adventure secures a Guinness World Record.
“I want to inspire young people so they can follow their dreams at any age, instead of waiting until they are 18 to do something,” Mack said at a press conference in Oman's capital on Wednesday.
"Nothing is impossible and the age barrier should not be a problem if you set your mind to do something you really want to do."
Mack is flying in a two-seater single-prop ultralight aircraft manufactured by Shark Aero.
Before arriving in Muscat, he flew to four African and Indian Ocean countries, before heading to the Middle East. Before his landing in Muscat, he was at Socotra, an island near Yemen.
Before returning to Europe, he will fly to Asian countries including India, China, Japan, Afghanistan and Pakistan then proceed to North America and finally return to Europe.
The record Mack is aiming for is held by British compatriot Travis Ludlow, who was 18 when he completed a circumnavigation last year.
“I also want to better my sister, who flew on a similar mission a while ago at the age of 19. I also want to do something special in aviation by flying around the world, too, like her,” said Mack.
His sister Zara in January created history by becoming the youngest woman to fly around the world solo after a journey that took five months.
Mack earned his flying licence in July 2020 at the age of 15, to become the youngest pilot in the world. His parents are also pilots and helped him take the controls of an aircraft when he was just seven.
He has so far visited 12 countries and is expected to arrive in the UAE on Thursday.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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