Elvis Presley, the ‘King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’, is recognized by Guinness World Records as the best-selling solo artist of all time. With one billion record sales worldwide, it’s safe to say that Elvis Presley is one of the most recognizable faces – and voices – in music history.
Like most global superstars, Presley also enjoyed traveling in style, which included taking to the skies in his own fleet of private planes. But what do we know about the legendary musician’s fleet? And more interestingly, where are these aircraft now?
Elvis’ first jet: The ‘Lisa Marie’ Convair 880
Elvis Presley purchased his first personal plane in 1975. It was a Convair 880 that had been flying for Delta Air Lines for 15 years as a passenger jet. He paid $250,000 for it at the time, equivalent to $1.2 million today.
But it wasn’t his first choice. According to the Australian Elvis Fan Club, he had previously placed a $75k deposit on a Boeing 707, but the deal fell through. He’d planned to buy the plane from Robert Vesco, a financier accused of embezzling millions who fled to South America. With the complications that would come with continuing the purchase of that plane, the prospect of a clean, well-maintained Convair 800 seemed much more attractive.
He christened it the ‘Lisa Marie’ after his young daughter, although its official callsign was Hound Dog I.
But Elvis clearly didn’t want to fly it as it was. The plane was extensively refurbished, taking it from a passenger hauler to a flying mansion worthy of a rock star. According to the official Graceland website, on top of the purchase price, Presley paid another $800,000 to modify the jet to his very exacting standards.
This wasn’t any old renovation Presley wanted. He demanded a conference room, private bedroom, top-of-range audio-visual systems, and the highest-end finishes on everything. He is said to have been very hands-on with the refurbishment of the Lisa Marie, picking fabrics, finishes, and colors, and regularly visiting the hangar at Meacham Field in Fort Worth to check on progress.
For that, he needed to fly. And so, Elvis bought another plane.
Elvis’ second jet: The Hound Dog II
While the Convair had been purchased in April 1975, the renovations were going to take at least six months to complete. In August of that year, Elvis leased a Fairchild F-27, but only for a couple of weeks. Seeing a good opportunity, he bought an Aero Jet Commander on August 15, but it wasn’t for the purposes of flying.
Randomly, ‘the King’ had bought Colonel Tom Parker, his enigmatic manager, a Gulfstream G-1 sight unseen in July that year. Apparently, Parker was not a fan, because by September 1975, Presley had traded in both the Gulfstream and the Jet Commander for a 1960 Lockheed JetStar.
Bought for a reported $899,702.60, this was a much bigger investment in his aircraft fleet. Already fitted out as a 10-seater business jet, Presley didn’t make any major changes, although he did alter the seats to yellow, green, and blue, and re-christened it Hound Dog II.
It was re-registered N777EP and given a livery similar to the Lisa Marie, including his trademark TCB logo on the tail.
It wasn’t until October 8 that Elvis took his first flight in his new plane. His pilot, with the remarkable name Milo High, took Presley and five others on a brief one-hour joyride to test out the jet.
Over the next month, Elvis traveled fairly frequently on Hound Dog II, enjoying his freedom while he waited for the Lisa Marie’s arrival.
After six months of work, the ‘Lisa Marie’ was ready for takeoff. Registered N880EP, she arrived in Memphis on November 10, 1975, where she would get her final touches before being put to use for touring.
What was the Lisa Marie Convair 800 like inside?
Make no mistake, Elvis went for the best of the best for the Lisa Marie. He wanted to create a ‘flying Graceland,’ and to have all the mod cons for a comfortable trip.
Whereas the Convair used to fly 96 people around for Delta, now it would seat just 28, but in far more comfort than before. As requested, the Convair now had a conference room, with a large oval glass table and leather armchairs, and two further lounge areas for guests.
It had a well-appointed bar, a professional hair and makeup station, and two additional sleeping areas. For the King, the plane had a private bedroom complete with a queen-sized bed, a lounge chair and a TV, and naturally, it was en suite. For the bathrooms, Elvis specified 24K gold-plated sinks and taps, and the larger bathroom even had a shower.
Attention to detail was important to the King, and every part of the aircraft was meticulously crafted. Seats were finished in suede or leather, walls were panelled in beautiful hardwoods, and the carpets were thick and plush. Even the seatbelts had gold-plated buckles.
Across the jet, 52 speakers connected to a videotape system with three TV screens as well as a quadraphonic 8-track stereo system. The aircraft even had a sky-to-ground phone system – all cutting-edge technology at the time.
While sleek and modern on the inside, the Lisa Marie was less ostentatious from the exterior. The plane was painted white and featured a blue and red strap from its nose through the whole fuselage to the tail.
The tail featured a US flag and included a special Elvis Presley logo, featuring the acronym TCB – for the well-known Elvis catchphrase ‘Taking Care of Business’.
Elvis used the jet for tours around the US, for which he needed a crew of four – a pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer and flight attendant. On top of that, the jet consumed 1,700 gallons of fuel per hour, and 2,200 gallons were needed for takeoff. Taken all in, this gave the Convair an annual operating cost of $404,000, or $2.1 million today when adjusted for inflation.
Elvis’ last plane – the ‘lost jet’
As an investment, Elvis had also bought a 1966 Dassault Falcon in 1975, although he never flew on it himself. Having loved the Hound Dog II so much, in December 1976, he traded in the Falcon for a second JetStar.
Built in 1962, the Lockheed JetStar L-1329 carrying tail number N440RM was the third and last jet bought by Presley for his personal use. As it was only purchased a year before his death, it was the one he flew the least.
Nevertheless, the interior of the jet was suitably opulent for the King, with red velvet seats and thick carpeting. Having been in Elvis’ fleet for a relatively short time, it sadly gathered dust in the New Mexico desert for over 35 years following his death.
When it was put up for auction in 2022, it was accompanied by a letter from Elvis’ wife Priscilla which gave some insight into the importance of the ‘lost jet’:
“This is a very significant piece of history as it was the only jet Elvis bought with his father. Elvis always wished to support his father’s entrepreneurial endeavors, especially after losing his mother so early. Elvis loved and respected his father very much and this jet is a piece of him and his father’s heart.”
What happened to Elvis’ planes?
All three of Elvis’ personal jets are still around today, although one is not quite the plane it used to be.
After Presley’s death in 1977, the Lisa Marie was sold by his father, Vernon. It changed hands a couple of times, but when Graceland opened to the public in 1982, Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE), the managers of the attraction, sought to bring the plane back to Memphis.
In 1984, the Convair 880 duly arrived back in Graceland, where it is now on permanent display. It has gone on to become one of the most visited tourist attractions in the US.
Not long after, EPE also acquired the Hound Dog II Lockheed JetStar and put that on display at Graceland too. Both planes can still be visited today.
As for the third JetStar, it was never added to the Graceland collection, and became known as the ‘lost plane’. Having stood in the desert for decades, it was finally bought at auction in 2022 for $234,000. The buyer? A rather eccentric YouTuber called James Webb, who runs the ‘Jimmy’s World’ YouTube channel.
Jimmy had aspirations to restore the jet to flying condition, as he has done with many other vintage planes. But when it became clear this bird was never going to fly again, he decided to do something different with it.
After months of extensive work, Jimmy finished turning the JetStar into a road-going RV. Last year, it made a guest appearance at renowned US airshow Oshkosh – perhaps we’ll see some more of it in 2025.
