Posted on 12/02/2022 11:12:03 AM PST by Red Badger
The Lockheed JetStar was the executive aircraft of choice in the '60s and '70s. The King owned two, one with the call sign Hound Dog 2.
A piece of rock ‘n’ roll history, waiting to be dusted off in the New Mexico desert, could be yours next month. Elvis Presley’s 1962 Lockheed 1329 JetStar is going up for auction in early January. Presley bought the red-and-silver-liveried JetStar—then considered the jet of choice for celebrities and CEOs—in 1976 for $840,000, or about $4.4 million in today’s dollars.
The jet, with room for nine passengers and three crew, had four engines mounted in two pods at the rear of the fuselage. It had a max speed of 565 mph with a range of about 2,500 miles. Besides the King, the jet would’ve been an airborne home to Col. Tom Parker, the TCB band and other backup groups as well as Presley’s friends, known as the “Memphis Mafia.”
The interior has wood paneling, but is mostly red-velvet upholstery with gold-finish hardware and red carpet. The seating includes six plush swiveling chairs and a couch. The media cabinet has a television, audio-cassette player and an RCA VCR player. The galley consists of a Kenmore microwave and beverage dispenser.
The Lockheed was just one aircraft in Presley’s private fleet. He owned a custom Convair 880 named the “Lisa Marie,” which went by the call sign of Hound Dog 1, along with a second JetStar identified by its call sign, Hound Dog 2. Several pilots remained on retainer to be able to fly at a moment’s notice. Two Elvis jets are currently on display at Presley’s home, Graceland, in Memphis.
The red-velvet interior. Courtesy Mecum Auctions Lockheed introduced the JetStar in 1957, the same year Elvis released “Jailhouse Rock,” and eventually built 203 aircraft at its facility in Marietta, Georgia. Elvis sold the jet after owning it for just over year and it ended up with a Saudi Arabian company. It was eventually moved to the Roswell International Air Center in Roswell, New Mexico, where it has been stored for decades.
Unfortunately, it won’t be a matter of just turning on the engines and flying out. The engines and most of the cockpit equipment were removed. Mecum’s Kissimmee auction listing says the JetStar will require disassembly in order to be shipped. The company has high hopes someone will restore it as a “unique Elvis exhibit for the world to enjoy.” A previous auction last August failed to find a buyer for the jet, which had a minimum starting bid of $100,000.
More images of the King’s JetStar.
Interesting configuration. Don’t remember ever seeing one.
The one Rosemary is traveling in was purchased in 1975. The one mentioned in the article, with the velvet seats, was purchased by Elvis in 1976.
The Jetstar was fairly large and heavy for a corporate jet. It needed four jet engines of the era to get the performance Lockheed wanted.
Also, this was before ETOPS. Having four engines would have given it more flexibility in over-water travel.
No way. Eight tracks didn’t reverse and I don’t remember “metal” settings. It does look like too large of a hole for a cassette.
How many calories did he burn on stage in all that leather?
I could see woofing down one, or part of one, before strenuous workouts.
Any sedentary pauses would necessitate refraining, lest one pudge up. Apparently, Elvis didn’t abstain in slow times.
I read some where that he was color blind and always had garish colors for everything
The original engines are in the Tennessee Museum of Aviation in Pigeon Forge.
The cassette goes in wide-ways, if you take my meaning.
8 Tracks didn't need autoreverse- all the tracks ran the same direction. Cassettes (4 tracks) needed a reverse or you had to pull them out and turn them around.
The big VC-10 passenger jets used the same arrangment. IL-62 as well.
Thanks for posting the video! Very informative!!
They did auto reverse.
It looks like a POS. It will cost a fortune to get it back to flying status, if that’s even possible.
Being “stored” outside has killed that airframe.
You sure? I don’t recall 8 tracks with reverse or eject buttons.
That’ll buff right out.
Maybe. I wonder if that’ll ever fly again.
Air Force flew them as well, C-140. Used primarily as flight check aircraft to calibrate and certify navigational aids and air traffic radar.
Elvis Died on my 10th birthday.
My mother bawling here eyes out sort of put a damper on the celebration.
At least i had my new Estes model rocket to go play with...
Not unless some billionaire with a Elvis fetish wants to preserve it. The cost to restore it and have it certified airworthy would be astronomical.................
My Mother-in-law did the same....................
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