Following Kanye West presenting president Donald Trump with a prototype of the ‘iPlane 1’ at the White House last week, its original designer has offered more details on the project. Check out images of the craft below.
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Last week (October 11), West met Trump in the White House’s Oval Office to discuss his support for the president. The rapper wore a ‘Make America Great Again’ cap as he spoke in front of the press.
During the surreal meeting, West suggested that Trump should fly on the ‘iPlane 1’, instead of the current Air Force One – a Boeing VC-25AS aircraft.
“I brought a gift with me right here,” West told Trump as he presented his phone containing a prototype of the plane. “This right here is the iPlane 1. It’s a hydrogen-powered airplane and this is what our president should by flying in.
“And we’re gonna have Apple, an American company, work on this plane.”
Following the meeting, the designer of the concept – Shabtai Hirshberg – told The Verge that Kanye’s words “completely caught [him] by surprise”.
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“A good surprise, I would say – it’s always nice to see your designs being thought well for,” he added.
The original design was posted back in 2012 and is called ‘Aerocruiser’. It was created as part of the Detroit-based designer’s master’s degree, with the project titled, “Redesign of a Commercial Aircraft for 2030”.
Explaining the idea for his energy-efficient plane, Hirshberg said: “My design reduces fuel costs by an estimated 30%, enables a significant extended range of destinations and landing terrains, shortens turnover time and provides improved passenger comfort and experience.”
Hirshberg added that while Apple is not involved at this stage, he is currently working on a smaller version of the craft.
“In school, they always told us to show them world-class level work, well I tried,” he said. “Now I’m waiting to hear back from Apple.”
Meanwhile, Alec Baldwin parodied Trump and West’s recent meeting during a sketch on Saturday Night Live at the weekend.