Destinations: Pilgrimage to Graceland
Visit Memphis to see 'The King's' aircraft
Presley’s Convair 880 Lisa Marie, a passenger jet previously owned by Delta Air Lines that he purchased for $250,000 and renamed after his daughter, is the center of attention at the aircraft compound across the street from Graceland Mansion.
Visitors can stroll through what Presley called his “Flying Graceland,” a four-engine commercial jet that was the General Dynamics Corp. equivalent of a Boeing 707—the aircraft model Presley preferred until a 707 deal fell through.
After acquiring the Convair, Presley personally supervised an $800,000 refurbishment, and many of the jet’s eye-catching features were advanced concepts for their time: an audio-visual system with floor-mounted speakers; a conference room with an oblong wooden table and seven chairs; a bar area stocked with sodas and Gatorade for Presley and alcohol for his guests; and televisions. The same Fort Worth, Texas, crew that worked on Air Force One transformed the 94-passenger jet into a personalized work of art that could accommodate 29 family and friends in comfort and style. The interior includes 24-karat-gold bathroom fixtures and seat belt hardware.
Memphis International Airport air traffic controllers would often welcome N880EP back to the field as “Hound Dog One."
The singer’s smaller 1960 Lockheed JetStar, Hound Dog II, is adjacent to the luxury airliner. It was also decorated by Presley, but in a color palette of green, turquoise, and yellow. The four-engine jet could accommodate 10 passengers and two pilots, and it was a superstar trendsetter in its heyday. The $899,702.60 purchase was primarily used by manager Colonel Tom Parker and advance team members who scrutinized the rock and roll star’s next tour stop.
Presley died at his Graceland Mansion home on August 16, 1977. The Lisa Marie’s final journey carried Presley’s wife, his daughter, and the singer’s father from California to the musician’s Memphis funeral.
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