A company called Hempearth is currently working on the world’s first hemp airplane, and founder Derek Kesek says that the aircraft will be ready for its first voyage next year.
Kesek recently told The Star newspaper that at least 75 percent of the plane will be made from hemp, instead of fiberglass. The wings, seats, pillows and outer shell will be made out of hemp, and the plane will even be powered by hemp biofuel.
“We are building this essentially from weeds from the garden. When nickel and other elements are taken, they can’t be put back,” Kesek said.
“Everybody said, ‘You can’t do that, you’re not going to be able to do that.’ I just said, ‘Watch me,’. No one thought it would be possible, and all those people who were naysayers are now coming on board,” he added.
Kesek was quick to point out that unlike marijuana, the hemp plant does not contain THC, making the project completely legal in Canada where he is located. In Canada, hemp products are not illegal to grow and produce like they are throughout most of America. As a result of these laws, many distributors of hemp products are forced to operate in Canada in order to sell their products in the US.
Kesek said that he eventually wanted to make a space ship out of hemp one day.
“My company is not about marijuana; it is about industrial hemp. I keep it really clean; we are almost like the Coca-Cola of hemp and I’m like the Richard Branson of the brand, I want to build a spaceship and be up next to Richard Branson in space with hemp,” Kesek said.
Velocity Inc., the company that has been contracted to build the hemp plane, is currently awaiting Kesek to raise the necessary funds to start the project. Kesek said that he will be using a mixture of private investments and crowd-funding revenue to cover the half million dollars that is needed for the project.
Kesek said that the hemp plane will make its first trip from Kitty Hawk, N.C. next year, where the world’s first successful aircraft flight took place.
In the following video, Kesek teases his plan for the hemp plane, while discussing how guitars and musical instruments can also be made out of hemp.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FHGRsYGWfw]
