Elvis Presley had fairly the gathering of automobiles, together with a 1974 Cadillac Fleetwood, a De Tomaso Pantera and a Stutz Blackhawk. He additionally had an previous personal jet that sat rusting away for a number of many years earlier than a YouTuber swept in and saved it from the scrapheap. As a substitute of returning it to the skies, they did the following neatest thing and remodeled it into an excellent retro camper.
The YouTuber in query is Jimmy Webb, who hosts the Jimmy’s World channel and creates all types of intriguing aviation content material you possibly can waste just a few hours watching. For his newest mission, Webb took on Presley’s previous 1962 Lockheed Jetstar.
When Webb acquired the jet, it had spent greater than 30 years sat forgotten in New Mexico, the place it was left with out engines or any cockpit controls. After shopping for the jet for round $260,000, Webb did start wanting into what it might take to get the aircraft into the air as soon as once more, however discovered that most of the components required to take action merely weren’t in manufacturing anymore. As such, making it airworthy was a tricky, if not unimaginable, activity.
So as an alternative of repairing the aircraft and taking it on all types of aeronautical adventures, Webb did the following neatest thing and turned it into a beautiful camper. Step one within the new plan concerned chopping the tail off the previous jet and eradicating its wings as a way to transport the fuselage to Webb’s workshop.
Since then, he’s been documenting the entire construct on his YouTube channel. As soon as safely stowed away from the weather, Webb mounted the fuselage of the aircraft onto an previous motorhome chassis in order that the brand new aircraft/RV may transfer below its personal steam as soon as once more.
Progress then moved inside, with Webb and his workforce fully gutting the inside of the plane. They began on the entrance, repairing the rotten previous cockpit and changing all of the plane controls with the form of belongings you would use to drive a aircraft/RV. This implies there’s a steering wheel that appears like a yoke straight out an plane cabin and all of the dials mirror the form of readouts you’d get in a classic jet – it’s all very slick.
Additional again, work has been finished to refresh the inside that Elvis specced his jet with. There’s nonetheless the unique TV that Elvis put in in addition to the pink velvet ending that was specced by the King. Now, nevertheless, the entire place has been totally cleaned of the filth, mud and dirt that constructed up over just a few many years within the desert.
Now, Autoevolution studies that the jet is about to be unveiled in all its glory on the 2024 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, which runs from July 22 till July 28. After this, there’s no set plan for its last vacation spot. Webb reportedly thought-about placing his creation in a museum, however can also be stated to love the concept of touring the nation in it to let individuals witness his creation in particular person. What do you suppose, if this RV popped up for rental close to you, would you spend an evening?
It’s not the primary plane conversion we’ve uncovered right here at Jalopnik, and follows an aeronautical college that remodeled an deserted jet into pupil dorms and a marriage venue within the UK turned the entrance of a 747 into the final word get together venue.
