As you probably know, Elvis’ private jet was sold at auction yesterday. What you may not know is that this is the plane Elvis flew on his very last vacation before he died. And that was to Hawaii.
The King of Rock and Roll would have been 88 years old on Sunday. The Hawaii legend, perhaps most famous in Hawaii for the 1961 cult classic Blue Hawaii, vacationed here many times. And when he came here, he flew on his private jet.
60 Years Ago Elvis’ Blue Hawaii + Jets Transformed Hawaii Travel
Elvis’ last trip before his death was in March 1977. Elvis and his “Memphis Mafia”* stayed in two places. The first stop was at the Hilton Hawaii Village, pictured here. Then they moved to a beach house in Kailua with his girlfriend, Ginger.
While Elvis was here, he also planned to pay a visit to Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial, which was a place dear to Elvis that he’d helped raise funds for previously. But due to an eye injury caused by sand, the trip was cut short, and he didn’t go.
Elvis’ last performance in Hawaii took place some four years earlier, in 1973, when he performed his “Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite,” which took place in Honolulu and was broadcast live.
Elvis arrived in Hawaii on his 9-passenger Lockheed JetStar private jet.
Elvis purchased the jet in 1976 for $840K, which would have been nearly $5M today. The plane featured a red and silver fuselage and a custom red velvet interior with wood paneling, window shades, and gold finishes.
Elvis’ jet had six red velvet recliner chairs, a matching couch, a Sears microwave oven, a television, and both cassette and VCR players. There was a lavatory, although there were no beds and no showers. The plane wasn’t Elvis’ only jet, and two others are on display at Graceland.
Elvis’ private jet sold yesterday for $260,000.
The auctioneer, Mecum, said, “The JetStar was then moved to Roswell International Air Center (ROW) in Roswell, New Mexico, where it’s been stored for decades and resides to this day. It can no longer fly, has no engines or cockpit systems, and will need to be disassembled to be moved. Mecum said it “serves as an incredible restoration opportunity and a chance to create a unique Elvis exhibit for all the world to enjoy.”
The final Hawaii vacation flight log was also auctioned.
The aircraft log sheet from Elvis’ plane, which documented the start of his final vacation in Hawaii on March 4, 1977, was also auctioned many years ago. It revealed that the vacation started when the plane departed Memphis shortly after midnight that day. It stopped for refueling at Oakland at about 4:30 AM, then arrived in Honolulu at 10:34 that same day. Truly jet-setting for the time.
The flight log sheet indicated a crew of five was also on board.
* Memphis Mafia is the nickname for Elvis’ friends, associates, employees, and relatives who accompanied, protected, and served him during his career.
Plane images courtesy Mecum.
Mahalo for the add. My heart beats of Hawaii. No joke bruddah..
Elvis went to that last Hawaii vacation on the Lisa Marie
Convair 880.
It has a range just 2600 miles. Its 2400 miles ftom Oakland to Hawaii.
It would not fly non stop from Memphis to Hawaii.
It’s 1700 miles from Memphis to Oakland.
Planes in those days were not as fuel efficient as they are today.
You stated there were 6 crew members which 3 would be in the cockpit. Pilot, co-pilot, and flight engineer as required for overseas flights. I can’t believe they would need 3 flight attendants.
The red plane you are referring to needs no flight eng. It is only a two engine plane way too small for the trip.
LM plane had 4 engines and poor fuel mileage.
I remember this flight and who was on it.
You’ve got your planes mixed up.
Elvis visited the Polynesian Cultural Center during that visit and it was covered in our school paper, BYU-Hawaii Ke Alakai at the time.
Your BOH is a wonderful source of information for those of us who travel to Hawaii regularly. But as a life long Elvis fan, I have to point out a couple of major errors in the story concerning the sale of Elvis’ plane, the Lisa Marie: 1.Elvis would have turned 88 on Sunday, January 8th, not on Monday. 2.The plane shown here with the red interior is not the Lisa Marie. He indeed made the trip to Hawaii on the Lisa Marie in March 1977, but the plane shown here with the red interior is not the Lisa Marie. The exterior of the Lisa Marie is blue & white, and the interior is anything but red. 3.The Lisa Marie is permanently on display at his home, Graceland, and is not for sale.
Hi Donna.
Thanks so much. We updated the article to correct that the plane sold wasn’t Lisa Marie, and the date was changed to Sunday.
Aloha.
What was the location of the Kailua Beach house Elvis stayed at on this visit (Address)?.
The plane shown here, and that sold on Sunday, was his Lockheed JetStar; but it’s not the plane that flew Elvis and his friends to Hawaii on March 4,1977 for what was to become Elvis’ last vacation. The Lisa Marie, which Elvis bought in April 1975, and named after his daughter, was the aircraft that flew Elvis and his friends to Hawaii that day. Elvis paid $250,000 for the 1958 Convair 880 Jet that had recently been taken out of service by Delta Airlines, and then spent over $800,000 having the jet refurbished, choosing the color scheme, fabrics etc. himself. There’s a living room, a conference room, a sitting room, and a private bedroom and bathroom. After refurbishing, the plane could carry 28 passengers, with a crew of 3.