Elvis knew how to stand out, and there is no exception with his private jet!
It's no secret that Elvis Presley had a soft spot for private jets. Following the release of the rock 'n' roll icon's biopic, we thought we'd take a look at one of the most familiar planes in his fleet – the Lisa Marie.
The Lisa Marie is a former Delta Air Lines Convair 880, with the Atlanta-based carrier taking on the unit in October 1960. The aircraft was delivered to Elvis in April 1975, and the singer was keen to get it up in the skies.
Nicknamed the Hound Dog I, and affectionately dubbed as The Pride of Elvis Presley Airways by the singer himself, this Flying Graceland had plenty to shout about. The Convair 880 was bought for $250,000 (≈$1.2 million today). Still, refurbishing costs totaled over $600,000 (≈$2.9 million today).
It was finally deployed in November 1975. The work paid off, with passengers noticing. Updates included an executive bathroom with gold taps and a penthouse bedroom with a custom queen-size bed.
Elvis Australia shares the following about the aircraft's features:
“The plane was in a hangar at Meacham Field in Fort Worth, and for months Elvis took great pleasure in flying friends out to check on progress as the interior of the plane was refurbished to his very specific design requirements. Elvis wanted a seating area, a conference room, and a private bedroom on the plane (with space for an in-flight reading library). He picked fabrics, decided on color schemes, chose the on-board audio-visual system, and even Ok'd the gold fixtures in the bathrooms (he counted heavily on some aesthetic input from Priscilla, too).”
With several promising specifications, the aircraft was a robust unit for its time:
Capacity: 28 (after Elvis modified the plane)
Range: 2,600 mi / 4,800 km
Engines: 4 x General Electric CJ-805-3 Pod Mount Jets
Length: 129 ft 4 in (39.42 m)
Height: 36 ft 3.75 in (11.07 m)
Wingspan: 120 ft 0 in (36.58 m)
Cruising speed: 470–534.5 kn (870–990 km/h)
Ceiling: 41,000 ft (12,000 m)
Operating cost in 1976: $404,000
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Presley bought another jetliner as he waited for Lisa Marie to hit the air. His Lockheed JetStar was actually more expensive than the Convair 880, trading for $900,000 (≈$4.3 million today). Elvis also had another JetStar in the fleet.
Named after his daughter, Lisa Marie, the 880 is on permanent display at Graceland. It received a fresh coat of paint in 2018 for the public to continue marveling at the legend’s personal jet.
In total, 65 Convair 880s were produced between 1959 and 1962. The aircraft is now retired, but saw plenty of famous customers, including TWA, Japan Airlines, Swissair, and none other than Elvis Presley!
What are your thoughts about Elvis Presley’s Convair 880? What do you make of the overall features of the aircraft? Let us know what you think of the plane and its operations in the comment section.
Source: Elvis Australia
Deputy Editor – Sumit comes to Simple Flying with more than eight years’ experience as a professional journalist. Having written for The Independent, Evening Standard, and others, his role here allows him to explore his enthusiasm for aviation and travel. Having built strong relationships with Qatar Airways, United Airlines, Aeroflot, and more, Sumit excels in both aviation history and market analysis. Based in London, UK.