''Hemisphere Dancer'' was singer-songwriter

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...

's personal

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tech ...

. A

Grumman The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a 20th century American producer of military and civilian aircraft. Founded on December 6, 1929, by Leroy Grumman and his business partners, it merged in 19 ...

HU-16 Albatross The Grumman HU-16 Albatross is a large, twin-radial engined amphibious flying boat that was used by the United States Air Force (USAF), the U.S. Navy (USN), the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), and the Royal Canadian Air Force primarily as a search an ...

flying boat A flying boat is a type of seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in having a fuselage that is purpose-designed for flotation, while floatplanes rely on fuselage-mounted floats for buoyancy. Though ...

, former

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

Bureau Number (BuNo) 137928 and civil registration number N928J. The aircraft is central to the action in Buffett's best-selling memoir '' A Pirate Looks at Fifty''.

History

This aircraft began life on August 22, 1955, as a long range search and rescue platform for the U.S. Navy. The largest member of the

"waterfowl" series of amphibious airplanes, the Albatross remained in service with the U.S. Navy until the mid-1970s. BuNo 137928 was retired from Navy service in August 1967 and flown to the

Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily Weapon, armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable ...

. After it remained inactive for a number of years and passed through intermediate owners, Buffett purchased the aircraft in November 1995, restored it, and named it ''Hemisphere Dancer''.

"Jamaica Mistaica"

This is the plane Buffett was flying during the incident recounted in the song "Jamaica Mistaica" on the album ''

Banana Wind ''Banana Wind'' is the twentieth studio album by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was released on MCA and Margaritaville Records on June 4, 1996, debuting at number four on the ''Billboard'' 200. Songs "Jamaica Mistai ...

''. While in Jamaica on January 16, 1996, Buffett's plane was shot at by Jamaican police. The ''Hemisphere Dancer'' was carrying Buffett, U2's lead singer

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by the nickname Bono ( ), is an Irish singer-songwriter and activist. He is a founding member, the lead vocalist, and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Bono is known for his impassioned voca ...

, his wife

Ali Ali ibn Abi Talib (; ) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from until his assassination in 661, as well as the first Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Born to Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib an ...

, their children Jordan and

Eve Eve is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the universe and its inhabitants came to be. Creation myths develop through oral traditions and there ...

, and

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

founder

Chris Blackwell Christopher Percy Gordon Blackwell OJ (born 22 June 1937) is a Jamaican-British former record producer and the founder of Island Records, which has been called "one of Britain's great independent labels". According to the Rock and Roll Hall ...

. Police suspected it was smuggling drugs. No one was hurt, although there were a few bullet holes in the plane.

''A Pirate Looks at Fifty''

After making a number of other trips around the Caribbean with it, Buffett set off on a tour of the Caribbean, Central, and South America, in celebration of his 50th birthday. Accompanying him were his wife, son, youngest daughter, and some hired pilots to lighten the workload. Despite numerous efforts at obtaining the requisite clearances and permissions, the ''Hemisphere Dancer'' was only allowed to make a water landing once during the month-long odyssey. This action is chronicled in Buffett's autobiographical travelogue ''A Pirate Looks at Fifty'', which was an immediate #1 best seller.

Current status

Since publication of ''A Pirate Looks at Fifty'', the ''Hemisphere Dancer'' has become an icon of Parrothead culture, being featured on clothing,

Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville is a United States–based hospitality company that manages and franchises a casual dining American restaurant chain, retail stores selling merchandise, and hotels themed after the musician Jimmy Buffett. The bran ...

restaurant menus, and as the namesake of drinks and garnishes at Margaritaville and Cheeseburger in Paradise Restaurants. It has made numerous visits to general aviation fly-ins such as the

Sun 'n Fun Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo (officially styled SUN 'n FUN) is a nonprofit organization in Lakeland, Florida dedicated to the promotion of aviation education. It is best known for the annual week-long fly-in and airshow at Lakeland Linder Intern ...

and

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (formerly the EAA Annual Convention and Fly-In), or just Oshkosh, is an annual air show and gathering of aviation enthusiasts held each summer at the Wittman Regional Airport and adjacent Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh, Wiscon ...

exhibitions. Buffett retired the aircraft from active flying service some time between April 8, 2003 (when it was spotted at Sun 'n Fun) and June 1, 2003, when it was spotted at

New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport , also known as Jack Bolt Field, is a public airport located three miles (5 km) northwest of the central business district of New Smyrna Beach, a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. It is owned ...

being dismantled for transport. By July 15, 2003 the aircraft was on-site at

Universal Orlando Resort Universal Orlando Resort, often shortened to Universal Orlando, is a theme park and entertainment resort complex located in Orlando, Florida. It is the flagship of the Universal Destinations & Experiences theme park chain. Following the succes ...

's CityWalk in Orlando, Florida, and on July 25, 2003 the ''Lone Palm Airport'', an outdoor bar and seating area for Buffett's Margaritaville at CityWalk, opened to the public with the aircraft as its centerpiece. The plane was removed on June 27, 2024 to undergo refurbishment, and was returned in July 2025.

References

{{italic title Individual aircraft Jimmy Buffett Seaplanes Universal Orlando