The undisputed ‘King of Rock and Roll’, Elvis Presley is recognized by the Guinness World Records as the best-selling solo artist of all time.
Having achieved one billion sales worldwide, there’s no doubt Presley is one of the most recognizable faces – and voices – in music history.
And just like the global superstars of today, he enjoyed traveling in style, particularly on his own fleet of private jets.
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Elvis Presley famously owned a Convair 880 and two Lockheed JetStars – but what we do we know about these planes and more importantly, where are they now?
Elvis Presley’s Convair 880
Elvis’ first personal plane was a Convair 880, which the American singer and actor purchased from Delta Air Lines in April 1975.
Having served the carrier for 15 years, Elvis Presley reportedly purchased the aircraft for $250,000 – the equivalent to roughly $1.2 million today.
Dubbed ‘Lisa Marie’ after the singer’s only daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, the plane underwent a significant refurbishment to change its standard passenger cabin.
According to the Graceland Blog, the renovations cost the superstar around $800,000, taking just over six months to complete.
The plane, which flew Presley across the US on his tour, was customized with gold-plated belt buckles, leather-topped tables, and suede sofas.
It even had modern features which were quite rare at the time, including a sky-to-ground phone and a quadraphonic eight-track stereo system.
Divided into separate areas, the plane had its own spacious master bedroom, a guest bedroom, a lounge area, a conference room, and two and a half baths complete with gold fixtures.
After Presley’s death in 1977, the plane was grounded for several years, before being handed over to OKC Partnership in 1984 to be publicly displayed at Graceland.
Elvis Presley Airways
While Lisa Marie was referred to as “the pride of Elvis Presley Airways”, the singer also had another jet called ‘Hound Dog II’.
Presley purchased Hound Dog II in September 1975, while he was waiting for renovation work to be completed on Lisa Marie.
Apparently, Elvis Presley paid $900,000 for Hound Dog II – a Lockheed JetStar.
The 10-seater executive business jet didn’t require any major changes, but that didn’t stop Presley from making adjustments to the cabin.
The singer equipped the plane with similar features to Lisa Marie, while also changing the color of the seats to yellow, green, and blue.
And just like Lisa Marie, Hound Dog II experienced the same fate following the singer’s death.
Both aircraft were sold by his family, before being repurchased and put on display at Graceland.
Elvis’ last plane
Elvis Presley has not only one, but two Lockheed JetStars in his fleet of private jets.
Built in 1962, his second Lockheed JetStar L-1329 was purchased in 1976 – a year before the singer’s death.
It may have been the least flown of all his aircraft, but Presley’s third jet outshone its predecessors, featuring pink velvet sofas, carpets and woodwork, and was painted in a vivid red livery.
Following Presley’s death, the plane was sent to the New Mexico desert for storage, spending around 40 years before eventually finding a new owner.
Despite desperately wanting to fly it again, its new owner couldn’t justify spending over $5 million to make it airworthy again, so he’s rebuilding it in a new way.
