Guy who turned Elvis’ private jet into RV reveals plans for the vehicle

The man who bought a private jet that used to belong to Elvis Presley and converted it into an RV has shared his future plans for the vehicle. 

Despite formerly being owned by one of the most famous people ever to walk the planet, the 1962 Lockheed 1329 JetStar was left to rot in a desert for years. 

However, it has since been given a new lease of life after being bought and converted into an RV by YouTuber James Webb. 

No, not the space telescope dude, although he has done something equally as cool.

READ MORE! Man who bought Elvis Presley’s abandoned private jet shows first steps of turning it into an RV

Jimmy parted with $234,000 to get his hands on the plane 

Webb – the man behind the Jimmy’s World YouTube channel – splashed out $234,000 to get his hands on the plane, recognizing that it was a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity. 

But buying the plane was really just the start of the project. 

“It took me a little while to figure out what to do with it,” Webb told Supercar Blondie. 

“I knew it would never fly again.

“That took less than five minutes to figure out.

“So if it’s not going to fly, what do you do with it?”

Webb knew he wanted to create something ‘epic’ that he could share on his popular YouTube channel but also something he’d be able to use at the end of the project. 

And so he settled on the idea of an RV.

Well, why not?

With a plan in mind, Webb and his team painstakingly began the job of stripping down the plane and turning it into a luxury RV. 

He wanted to keep the jet ‘exactly’ as it was 

Fortunately, most of the plane’s interior was in pretty solid condition, meaning Webb was able to retain its retro charm and keep it looking more or less the same as when Elvis owned it. 

“I didn’t want to mess it up or cut it, I wanted to keep it exactly the same as it was,” Webb said. 

And it was here he hit upon some good luck – because although the RV that was donated was ‘complete scrap’ and ‘absolute garbage’, it fit the plane like a dream. 

“The biggest thing that I still cannot get over is – the size of the RV, where the wheels are and where the engine is, the height, the size – everything fit as though it was built for the jet,” he shared. 

“We did not have to modify a single thing to make it work. It was ridiculous how well it went together. We didn’t have to cut or weld, we literally made our mounting blocks and dropped it on.”

What’s next for the RV?

With the build now pretty much complete, Webb is gearing up to share it with the world at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024. 

“My goal with it, when we’re done [finishing the build], is to bring it up to Oshkosh, the world’s biggest air show – 700,000 people and 20,000 airplanes – that’s going to be the grand unveiling,” he said.

“The airshow is kind of a test – a really big test – and then depending on how things go at the event we may have to adjust things and change things.”

After that, Webb plans to take the RV to another show in Las Vegas later on in the month before maybe traveling further afield.

“And then from there, who knows? Take it around the country on a tour or something. I’m not really sure what’s happening after the end of July,” he admitted. 

Whatever happens next, Webb is keen to hold onto the RV and says it will definitely be in his possession for the ‘foreseeable future’.

“It’s a unique piece,” he added. “I will keep it and have fun with it and show it around. Maybe take it to different events and stuff like that.”

He’s also keen to film some new videos in the RV for his channel, where fans can’t get enough of seeing the transformation. 

But fans of his plane-centric content needn’t worry, as he has no plans to become an RV vlogger. 

“I will say that I do not want to be a ‘roadie-person’ – where my life is just traveling with this thing all around the country. I don’t want that life,” he said. 

Does he have any regrets about taking on the jet?

Webb set a budget of $360,000 for the whole project, which he had managed to keep below at the time of the interview. 

After sinking so much time and money into the project, we were keen to know if he’d do it all again. 

“Oh heck yeah, it was so stinking, so cool,” he said. “When I’m 85, I want the story of ‘we found Elvis Presley’s private jet, we turned it into a mobile home and drove it around the country’.

“Just to say that I was able to do that – I’d do it again all day, every day.” 

So that’s a strong ‘yes’ then?

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