Elvis’ Private Jet Arrives In Florida; New Owner To Transform It

After sitting in a desert in New Mexico for four decades, Elvis’ private jet is finally returning to Tampa Bay, Florida. The Lockheed Jetstar previously owned by the King of Rock in 1962 was purchased by James Webb of Jimmy’s World on YouTube for a whopping $234,000 and is currently in storage in Plant City. Regarding his recent purchase, Webb stated, “Airplane itself is flipping cool, even without the obvious connection, but if you add in the Elvis connection, there’s no rock n roll star bigger than Elvis, in my opinion.”

After forty years, the jet moved from its resting place in Roswell, New Mexico, to Florida- and it charted a course of 1,600 miles. According to People, the rusty jet, which had been parked for the last forty years at the Roswell International Air Center in New Mexico, was recently sold at an auction on January 8th- which, iconic, would have been the 88th birthday of Presley.[1] 

Elvis’ Private Jet Was Finally Bought Off At An Auction By James Webb

Elvis’ private jet, which has a seating arrangement of nine, was purchased by Presley on the 22nd of December, 1976, for a sum of $840,000. Interestingly, this was one of the many jets that he had in his personal fleet, according to information provided by the auction site. A couple of them are still on display at Graceland, the star’s home. Despite the battered exterior of the plane, the interior is still quite swanky.

The swiveling seats, according to Nexstar’s WFLA, were covered in soft, red velvet. One of the walls also had a television and a microwave- which one could still use. The new owner of the plane, Webb, is quite famous for buying old, battered planes and renovating them to give them a new lease on life. He mentioned that this particular jet will be converted into a Recreational Vehicle which would then be used to tour the country- as well as raise funds for multiple charities- including the St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.[2]

James Webb Wants To Create A RV Out Of The Private Jet

Regarding his plans for Elvis’ private jet, Webb stated, “We’re going to be able to create such a unique, Elvis-type of experience that the whole world would get to enjoy. Even more than if it was flying or stationary at Graceland.” He has plans to finish up the renovation within a year and has regularly posted updates on his channel on YouTube. The jet was dismantled before it arrived in a giant trailer vehicle at Graceland park. Also, it is quite interesting to note that this was the first time when three of Elvis’ jets were at the same park simultaneously. But not before James had to pay a parking fee of $15- you can’t put a price on genius now, can you? The guards also informed James that Graceland wasn’t actually owned by Elvis. 

The Jet Could Not Be On Elvis Presley’s Estate

Unfortunately for James Webb, Elvis’ private jet had to be moved immediately after it was stored at Graceland. The law enforcement manning the gates stated, “If you can find- I don’t know where you’re going to go- I don’t know- but you’re welcome to, once you get it (the jet) off this property which includes that lot, this lot, and all that over there sure, you can’t ground everything you got to actually be north of that traffic light where you go into the driveway of the guest house which is awesome. You’ve got to be north of that, and you have to be south of that to be off of our land.”

One of Webb’s associates, Tim, asked the guards, “So we can’t even park on your property because we have Elvis’ old jet?” To this, the guard replied, “Something like that, yeah. Once you get the jet off the property, our corporate office is that brown two-story building, and if you go through those double-doors and ask to speak to [sic] in marketing, she’s aware of this- as they have been hollering at me.” It was clear that even the security guards were confused as to why it wasn’t allowed, but such are legal matters. As such, Webb and his associate had to make the long trip to Florida without being able to showcase all 3 of Presley’s Jets in the same place at the same time.

Keep Reading: “Elvis proposed to me, but I said no.” The celebrity who had an intimate connection with the famous artist.