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On April 17, 1975, Elvis Presley purchased his first plane for the incredible sum of $250,000 (approximately $1.3 million today). The star bought the Convair 880 jet from Delta Airlines and quickly started remodelling it to meet his many needs. Before long, he had renamed the plane The Lisa Marie – after his only child, Lisa Marie Presley. He then spent almost $1 million on altering the enormous plane – but he didn’t just keep it to look flashy.
Elvis had his first flight on The Lisa Marie on November 27, 1975. He flew to Las Vegas for two weeks to perform concerts there every night. Shortly thereafter, he brought Lisa Marie onto the plane to make one of his fondest memories with her.
Lisa Marie was just seven-years-old at the time and had spent most of her life in Memphis, Tennessee. Because of this, she had only known the joys of hot weather and sweltering sun.
However, this meant she missed out on the magic of snow. Elvis realised his daughter had never experienced a real white winter, so decided to change that.
As Elvis and Lisa Marie lived at Graceland in Memphis, there was a very slim chance it would snow each year.
Elvis Presley dedicated his plane’s namesake to his daughter (Image: GETTY)
Elvis Presley later took Lisa Marie away on his plane (Image: GETTY)
So, Elvis put Lisa Marie in his newly purchased jet, The Lisa Marie, and flew her to Denver, Colorado. The star and his young daughter played in the snow for hours, making memories that she would no doubt never forget, and experiencing a true white winter for the first time ever.
Eventually, when they were done playing around in the snow, they boarded The Lisa Marie and returned to Memphis.
The King of Rock and Roll was very casual about jumping on his plane and taking a trip to the snowy peaks of Colorado, but he was not always so easy about flying.
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Elvis Presley was originally scared of flying (Image: GETTY)
Elvis Presley loved his jet (Image: GETTY)
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Priscilla Presley – Elvis’ ex-wife and mother of Lisa Marie – told Larry King that the star was originally very scared of flying.
She revealed: “He had a fear of flying, and his mother didn’t really want him flying either. So he stopped for a while.”
Elvis eventually got over his fear of flying, but it is not known how. One story claims that shortly after his mother, Gladys Presley, died in 1958, he started to change his tune. (Via Magic.co.nz)
Then, once he purchased The Lisa Marie, he became very happy with being in the air. In fact, he spent $800,000 to remodel The Lisa Marie, and included some extraordinary extras to make his life even more comfortable.
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Elvis installed a number of bells and whistles in The Lisa Marie, including a penthouse bedroom fitted in the back of the plane with a custom-made queen-sized bed. The room also boasted an executive ensuite bathroom with gold-plated sinks and taps.
What’s more, the King’s famous bouffant hairstyle could be moulded in his custom-built barber’s chair. The tail of The Lisa Marie was adorned with the American flag, as well as Elvis’ catchphrase logo: TCB lightning bold (Taking Care of Business in a Flash).
Although The Lisa Marie was the King’s pride and joy, he did purchase other aircraft before his death in 1977.
Elvis dreamed of having his own fleet of planes.
Over the years, he purchased five planes. The second aircraft he purchased was a 1960 Lockheed Jetstar. He named it The Hound Dog II (after The Lisa Marie, which was also known as The Hound Dog I). The Hound Dog II is at Graceland and is still open for tours to look around while visiting to this day.
