Elvis Presley’s neglected private jet has been moved to Florida, where a well-known YouTube star aspires to turn the plane into an RV. After sitting untouched in the desert for four decades, Elvis Presley’s 1962 Lockheed JetStar embarked on an incredible 1,600-mile journey from Roswell, New Mexico to Florida. James Webb of “Jimmy’s World” on YouTube has taken up the task. He is currently transforming this piece of history in Plant City, Florida.
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On January 8, on what would have been Elvis Presley’s 88th birthday, Webb purchased the dilapidated jet for a price of $234,000. This was at an auction hosted by Roswell International Air Center in New Mexico. “It was the biggest financial purchase I have ever made, outside of a house. This was ironically more expensive than my house,” Webb explained to Fox News. “How crazy is that?”
On December 22nd, 1976, Elvis purchased the jet for a whopping $840,000. Of course, that’s three times more than what Webb paid when he acquired it. The 1962 Lockheed JetStar L-1329 was the third aircraft to join his luxurious fleet. Of course, he shared it with his father Vernon Presley. This jet provided exclusive and private transportation for the two of them. However, it also brought them closer together as they enjoyed their trips in style. In its heyday, the jet boasted enough room to comfortably seat nine passengers. They were surrounded by a vibrant red velvet interior with decorative wood paneling and lush shag carpet.
Elvis Presley’s plane was once the choice for celebrities and the powerful
The bathroom contains a vanity and the kitchen has a meal-prep area with a beverage dispenser and Kenmore microwave. It’s important to know that the aircraft will have to be taken apart for shipping. Elvis had already acquired a fleet of planes before he purchased the Convair 880, which he nicknamed “Lisa Marie.” The plane went by the call sign Hound Dog 1. He also owned a second JetStar, known as Hound Dog 2, according to the Mecum listing.
According to the auction site, Presley kept several pilots on retainer. of course, he used the planes to cart his TCB band, backup groups, Col. Tom Parker and Memphis Mafia on tour to concerts and appearances across the country.
Webb aims to spend the next year revamping his plane into an RV, after which he will embark on a journey across America and use it as an opportunity to gather donations for charities. “We’re going to take an RV chassis, take the house part of the RV off, put [the plane] on that, so this can be the ‘Elvis Experience,’” Webb said. Webb’s priority was to eliminate the copious amounts of nesting materials that were tangled in the wiring.