Elvis Presley’s pilot shares stories of The King’s lavish generosity

As an incredibly rich and famous rock star, Elvis Presley lived a lavish life of luxury. Over the years, some have claimed that contributed to excesses that eventually ended his life at just 42. However, a new book on The King argues that his amazing generosity throughout his life is often mistaken for overindulgence. Those who knew the star personally time and again praise him for his kindness, especially through gift-giving. His former girlfriend Linda Thompson has admitted she and the Memphis Mafia would nickname him Santa at Christmas time because of all the jewellery, cars, bonuses and charitable giving he was handing out.Express.co.uk spoke exclusively with Ron Strauss, the pilot of Elvis’ private jet the Lisa Marie. His life is the subject of a new book called Destined to Fly, by Elvis history author Sally A Hoedel.Alongside a co-pilot, engineer and air hostess, he’d be on call for The King 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year for whenever the boss wanted to fly, either on tour or just for fun.Ron, an air force Vietnam veteran who survived a hijacking in Nicaragua, did this from 1975-1977, during the final two years of Elvis’ short life. He recalled how The King never let up on his constant generosity to his friends, family and staff, even as he struggled with his own health problems. Elvis Presley’s pilot shares touching stories of The King’s ‘unbelievable’ generosity (Image: GETTY) Elvis’ Lisa Marie plane which is now at Graceland for fans to see (Image: GETTY) Elvis with Linda Thompson stepping off the Lisa Marie plane (Image: LINDA THOMPSON) Destined To Fly: The Story of Pilot Ron Strauss – From Iowa to Elvis is out now (Image: SALLY A HOEDEL)Ron recalled one time when there was a thunderstorm, he asked Elvis if he wanted to wait before taking off as it was going to be very choppy in the air. The King replied: ‘That’s fine, as long as you guys are happy.’As predicted, the turbulence was rough during the flight, even though the pilots managed to dodge through the worst parts of the weather. After landing safely, Elvis asked about the radar, which Ron pointed out was as antiquated as can be.Quick as a flash, the star told him to speak to his father Vernon Presley, who handled all the money and not long afterwards, a brand new $18,000 one was installed. The King had been a nervous flyer after a near-death experience when he was younger, so no doubt making sure everyone felt as safe as possible was a high priority for him.Ron also shared an incredible story of how working for Elvis made it very easy for him to buy a house.DON’T MISSElvis: Graceland’s unseen rooms – Inside The King’s dog collars closet [GRACELAND]Elvis Presley: Graceland’s unseen rooms – Inside Aunt Delta’s bedroom [GRACELAND]The Beatles’ Paul McCartney burst into tears after hearing Elvis song [THE BEATLES]The pilot had settled into the job and needed a loan to purchase a property in Memphis, so Vernon called in a favour for him at The King’s bank.When Ron arrived he asked to see the man in charge, but didn’t get anywhere until he said: ‘Would you tell the president of the bank that Elvis Presley’s pilot is here.’Suddenly he was ushered into the boss’s office where they talked about the star for a while before discussing his need for around $73,000 to buy a house.Ron was given a blank contract, but refused to give his signature, saying it was like signing a blank cheque.  Elvis timeline (Image: EXPRESS)The president of the bank explained: ‘Let me tell you, Elvis has got a $1 million in an account with me and a bunch more. Do you think I’m going to jepardise that for $73,000?!”Ron told us: ‘I said, ‘Nope!’ And I signed it. He had a cheque ready for me in a couple of days. The way people in Memphis operated when they knew you worked for Elvis was unbelievable!’Destined To Fly: The Story of Pilot Ron Strauss – From Iowa to Elvis is out now and can be ordered in the UK at Strictly Elvis here, while more information on Sally A Hoedel can be found on her website here.