Jimmy Buffett’s personal plane, the Hemisphere Dancer, is being removed from its location at the Lone Palm Airport Bar in Universal CityWalk Orlando.
Jimmy Buffett’s Hemisphere Dancer
Photographer bioreconstruct shared a photo on X of the plane being deconstructed. Bio noted the removal could be for refurbishment and display at another location. It could also increase capacity at the outdoor bar, which is outside Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville.
The seaplane is a Grumman HU-16 Albatross that was manufactured in 1955. Before Buffett purchased and restored it in 1995, the U.S. Navy used the plane for search and rescue. Buffett’s adventures in the plane include the January 16, 1996, incident recounted in the song “Jamaica Mistaica.” Jamaican police shot at the Hemisphere Dancer, suspecting it was smuggling drugs. Buffett, his wife, two children, U2’s lead singer Bono, and Island Records founder Chris Blackwell were all on board but were not hurt. The incident left bullet holes in the plane.
The Hemisphere Dancer is also featured in Buffett’s autobiography, “A Pirate Looks at Fifty.” Buffett and his family flew the plane around the Caribbean, Central, and South America in celebration of his 50th birthday.
Buffett passed away last year at the age of 76.
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