An elderly Indonesian farmer has left social media in meltdown after footage emerged of him hitching a ride to his banana plantation, dangling from a massive agricultural drone.
The jaw-dropping clip, filmed in Jombang, East Java, shows the grinning pensioner soaring 1.5 kilometres through the air, waving cheerfully at the camera as he glides over lush green fields
.Dressed in a cap, sunglasses, and a casual jacket, the daredevil farmer is strapped into a harness suspended beneath the enormous multi-rotor drone. He films himself smiling broadly during the short flight before pointing down at the landscape below.
The large drone, reportedly costing the equivalent of a decent car (around Rp320-350 million), is normally used on the plantation to ferry heavy loads of fertiliser, seedlings, water and pesticides across difficult terrain with no proper road access. Its payload capacity is said to reach up to 150kg.
In this viral stunt, it was repurposed to carry the farmer himself from his banana patch back to a parking area or home.
The farmer appears relaxed and happy throughout the 77-second clip, even waving at the camera mid-flight. Aerial shots show another worker on the ground near sacks as the drone passes overhead.
Local reports suggest the plantation has since suspended using the drone to carry people while authorities examine flight permits and safety protocols. The clip was apparently filmed “for content,” according to those involved.
Agricultural drones of this size are increasingly used across Asia for spraying crops and transporting supplies, but strapping a human underneath one for a joyride (or daily commute) is highly unusual and potentially risky.
The farmer’s cheeky grin and relaxed demeanour as he dangled in the breeze have only added to the video’s charm, turning him into an unlikely internet sensation.
One thing’s for sure: this is one banana farmer who’s truly taken his job to new heights.
