The U.S. government has paid $261,000 to pull a long-retired Lockheed JetStar from an Arizona boneyard and repaint it for static display. As you might have guessed this isn’t just any JetStar, nor is it just any paint job. The JetStar was used to shuttle former President Lyndon Johnson between Washington and his ranch in the Texas Hill Country. The shiny new-looking 13-seat aircraft will be put on permanent display at the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park at Johnson’s ranch near Stonewall, Texas. The official dedication is Aug. 27.
The $261,000 tab for getting the four-engine bizjet ready for display included hauling it out of the military’s Tucson boneyard, restoring the exterior, disassembling it for transport and then reassembling it at the ranch. Ross Whitlock, superintendent of the historical site, said the old jet is an important artifact in that it helped Johnson “conduct the business of the country” while he was at home in Texas. The jet flew him back and forth to Washington numerous times and was also used by staff to visit Central America and the Caribbean.
