Anyone who ever said you can’t get high on hemp is about to eat their words, sort of. A prototype of a plane made entirely of the versatile and non-intoxicating sister of cannabis is designed to get you thousands of feet high, in fact.
Five years ago, horticulturalist and innovator Derek Kesek made headlines with his revolutionary pitch for an aircraft made of various parts of the hemp plant. Since, Hempearth Group—his sustainability-focused company—has completed the designs, signed a production contract, and formed a strategic partnership with an American manufacturing team.
Down to the fuel, 75 percent of the prototype is plant-based, including the seats, pillows, wings, outer shell, and some of the interior.
Hempearth Group
“Hemp is up to ten times stronger than fibreglass, lighter, flame retardant, and leaves virtually a zero footprint on the environment. Hemp is also the most biodiverse crop on earth and [has] over 25,000 uses and counting,” said Kesek in a release.
The four-seater twin engine diesel aircraft should theoretically hit a cruising speed of between 210 and 310 miles per hour and run on an experimental hemp jet fuel.
Now, all Kesek needs is the cash to back the project. He’s launched a campaign on the crowd-funding platform GoFundMe in a push to raise $125,000. So far, he’s raised just over $200.
Once funded, the plane will be built in Sebastian, Florida. It’s first flight will take off from a treasured region amongst the aviation crowd: Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The town is known as the historic site of Wilbur and Orville Wright’s first flight in a powered aircraft.
And, if that’s not cool enough, here’s a video of Kesek making a bong out of a coconut and the shell of a sea urchin.
