Guinness World Records can now confirm that Lachlan Smart from Australia is officially the Youngest person to circumnavigate by aircraft, solo.

On 4 July 2016, Lachie took off in a Cirrus SR22 aircraft and completed the history-making journey at Sunshine Coast Airport, Queensland, Australia on 27 August, aged just 18 years 234 days.

This announcement comes after an extensive evidence review process that involved checking the GPS data for the entire journey, all take-off and landing times, multiple witness statements and video footage.

Youngest person to circumnavigate by aircraft solo the plane

The teenager stopped in 24 locations in 15 different countries during his seven-week flight, and covered 45,000 kilometres. (Somehow he also managed to visit family and do some sightseeing in London during his attempt!)

Lachie at Niagara Falls

The epic around-the-world trip was two years in planning and Lachie amassed hundreds of supporters, many of which lined his flight back to his Sunshine Coast hometown, cheering him along.

“Age is just a number, and really, if we want to achieve something, it shouldn’t be a barrier to success,” reads a quote on the young pilot’s website.

“My mission is to inspire youth to dream big and to follow their dreams, giving confidence to others so they can achieve their full potential and do what they may otherwise only dare to dream about,” said Lachie before embarking on the flight.

Fiji

The previous record holder was Matthew Guthmiller from the US, who was aged 19 years 7 months 15 days when he achieved the title back in 2014.

Commenting on his extraordinary achievement, Lachie said: “It does not take an extraordinary person to complete an extraordinary achievement, so don’t be afraid to dream big!”

Solvej Malouf, Guinness World Records adjudicator said: “Congratulations Lachie! What an achievement of super-hero proportions. The passion and dedication Lachie exhibited to attempt and break the record is what Guinness World Records is all about. We love giving people the opportunity to make their dreams come true!”