James Cross
Elvis Presley is one of the most famous names in rock n’roll. Everyone has heard at least one of his songs, and his fascinating life has been the subject of many movies, TV shows, and documentaries. Among some of the less scandalous parts of his life is his taste for luxury and expensive things, which leads to our story today.
An Extravagant Man
Celebrities are known for their fine and sometimes extravagant tastes, and Elvis Presley was no exception. During the course of his life, he was known for his lavish parties and expensive clothes. He also traveled around in not one, but three private jets.
Two of his jets, the Lisa Marie and the Hound Dog II are both for display in the Graceland Museum in Memphis, Tennessee. The third jet, though, a 1962 Lockheed Jetstar was put up for auction after sitting idle in the New Mexico desert for years.
Ripe For The Picking
The jet had been stripped of its engine and a good amount of the components in the cockpit. It was far from air-ready when it was put up for auction on January 8, and it drew interest from collectors across the country.
The man who ultimately won the auction was James Webb. He’s a Youtuber known for flipping abandoned aircraft, and his channel, Jimmy’s World, has more than four hundred thousand subscribers. The purchase of the Elvis aircraft was his largest to date, costing him $234,000.
Different Ways to Think
James initially toyed with the idea of turning the abandoned aircraft into an AirBNB to rent out to Elvis fans across the country. His inspiration was Dolly Parton, who rents her personal tour bus out for $10,000 a night when it’s not in use.
Ultimately, though, James decided to take the abandoned plane another way. Instead of turning it into an AirBNB as is, he created plans to turn the plane into an Elvis-themed RV. The aircraft still had a generator and water system to allow for plumbing and electricity, making the idea a much easier lift.
A Rough Beginning
The plane was toted over 1600 miles from New Mexico to Florida, where James immediately started the world to tear the plane apart and renovate it. On his Youtube channel, James showed off the interior of the plane, with velvet red seats and a microwave that still turned on.
He reassured his audience that he planned to keep the interior as intact as possible, even as he had to do “surgery” to the outside in order to meet his RV vision. In a video, James showed the plane having its nose and wings removed, with the intent of selling them to help fund the enterprise.
A Publicly Mourned Loss
Many of his viewers had a hard time with the video, though they understood the purpose. The outside of the plane was rusted and aged, and some viewers suggested that James should merely restore the plane so that other Elvis fans could experience the plan as the man himself did on tour.
James’ sympathy for his fellow rock lover’s hasn’t kept him from his ultimate goal, though. Restoring the outside of the plane is part of his plan to create a unique, touring Elvis experience, and restoring the inside is the other part.
A Glimpse of a Retro Past
The interior of plane seats nine on its red-velvet seating, and it contains a galley seating area and fully intact VCR systems in the wall. The lavatory has a vanity and the kitchen has a fully-equipped prep area, and the gold accents and wood paneling create a 60’s retro vibe of an era past.
Jimmy wants to keep the interior as intact as possible, even as the exterior has to be renovated. The cockpit was left alone during the “surgery” and Jimmy already has plans for how to attach the remainder of the plane to an RV chassis so that it can be toted around the country.
Priscilla: The Surprise Guest
Priscilla Presley herself was at the auction of the plane, her very first one. At the auction, she spoke to the crowd and talked about her late husband’s love of cars and planes, a hobby that she called “his joy.”
This was not the first time that the plane had been sold, the aircraft having transferred hands several times before it languished in the desert for several decades. The final purchase, where it was bought by James, took place on what would have been Elvis’ 88th birthday.
More Important Than Just a Plane
James doesn’t take the importance of his ownership lightly, despite what some view as wilful destruction of the property. He considers Elvis one of the most influential figures of the last century, both in terms of popularity and scope. Keeping his memory alive with memorabilia like the plane is an important part of preserving history.
Elvis has been dead for almost fifty years, and he’s still one of the most popular musicians of all time. To date, he has sold over 250 million records of his music, and his presence in pop culture is one that cannot be understated.
An Ongoing Adventure
The adventure with Elvis’ jet didn’t end with its purchase and disassembly, though. The plans to rebuild the plane from the inside out were set up and put in motion, but these sorts of things take time. It wasn’t until November of 2023 that Jimmy was finally able to start making progress on the rebuild of the Elvis jet.
In a video posted early in the month, Jimmy does a walk through not only of the Elvis jet, but all the other projects that he’s got going. Part of the business of his Youtube channel is explaining the different rebuilds that he’s working on with his team, and the Elvis plane is one of the high-profile projects.
A Lot Goes Into the Rebuild
A lot of the early work being done on the plane is part of the technical and engineering rebuild, including removing what was left of the engine and sorting through other parts that needed replacing. The mechanical parts of the rebuild are only part of it, though.
In the video, he goes on to climb into the plane and show off a gift that he received from a viewer that was intended for the Presley rebuild. Part of the challenge of rebuilding an interior that was designed in the 70’s comes from the fact that authentic (visually or otherwise) parts are difficult to come by, but one of his viewers came through in a small way.
Tiny Details, But Important Ones
One of the small details of restoring the inside of the plan has to do with the cupholders, which were gold-plated details in the original 70’s design. Understandably, finding pieces that fit the size, shape, and color of those original cupholders is a challenge even with the modern internet, but Jimmy’s viewers are nothing but tenacious.
The viewer sent in some gold-plated cupholder inserts for Jimmy to test during the rebuild of the plane, and to his joy, they fit! The color and shape are nearly identical to the original cup holders of the plane, adding a touch of authenticity to the rebuild that has brought so much public attention to Jimmy’s channel.
An Enormous Project
Other parts of the ongoing rebuild include restructuring and rebuilding the cock pit, and potentially replacing the front-facing windows of the plane. While they are still in decent shape, Jimmy’s vast array of parts from past builds and his connections means that he may have the materials to replace them without compromising the authenticity of the plane.
A project like this is a big one, and it’s clear through Jimmy’s Youtube channel that his only desire is to preserve Elvis’ legacy and bring it into the twenty-first century. If that means that the rebuild takes longer, in order to preserve all that can be saved of the Elvis relic, that’s what he’s going to do.
Planning For a Hopeful Future
Jimmy hopes to help keep his memory alive by touring the country and allowing fellow fans to see such an incredible piece of history. More importantly, though, he has plans for how the proceeds of the tours can be used to better the future.
Jimmy hopes the plan will be ready for tour within the year, plans on taking the proceeds from the plane tours and donating them to various charities, including St. Jude Children’s Hospital. The unique experience will be one that not only benefits fellow fans and people who remember the king from when he was alive, but also one that helps to build a better future.
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