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Elvis and the Learjet – Part Two

In the early morning of May 1, 1967, Elvis and Priscilla were issued a marriage license at the Las Vegas Courthouse. Just before 10:00 AM, the couple was officially married at the Aladdin Hotel and Casino with just 14 guests in attendance. The entire ceremony took a mere 18 minutes. This was followed by the reception with approximately 100 of their closest friends and a five-foot-tall, six-tier wedding cake.

By this time, the word was getting out about the wedding and fans were showing up in mass. It was time to get the Presleys out of the Aladdin and back to McCarran Airport for their escape. When they arrived, the jets were ready to go. The newlyweds climbed back aboard Frank Sinatra’s Learjet and they were off to Palm Springs for their honeymoon.

Over the next several years, Elvis and Priscilla made regular use of the Learjets. Clay Lacy Aviation at Van Nuys Airport supplied the Learjets to the Presleys as well as several other Hollywood elites. If Sinatra wasn’t using his Learjet, it would be loaned out to other celebrities. If it wasn’t available, its hangar mate, N464CL, another early Learjet, would be used. Clay would often do the piloting himself using his staff of copilots.

It wouldn’t be until 1975 that Elvis bought his own jets – a large Convair 880 named “Lisa Marie” and a smaller Lockheed JetStar II named “Hound Dog.” (Hound Dogs pilot was named Milo High, I kid you not!) Both of these jets can be seen at Graceland.

 
Elvis and Priscilla Presley in front of Learjet