Disney Announces Restoration and Recreation of the Interior of Walt Disney’s Plane to Its 1960s Design
The Palm Springs Air Museum opened a new exhibit to accompany Walt Disney’s Grumman Gulfstream I airplane.
The Palm Springs Air Museum, in conjunction with Phoenix Air, will restore and recreate the interior of the Gulfstream I to resemble what it looked like when Walt flew it in the 1960s. Museum Vice Chairman Fred Bell said, “We are so thrilled to partner with the Walt Disney Archives on this amazing restoration project. The Palm Springs Air Museum has restored over 60 aircraft in its 26-year history.
The restoration and recreation of Walt Disney’s plane is anticipated to take approximately two years.
Walt Disney’s Grumman Gulfstream I plane journeyed from D23 Expo 2022 in Anaheim, California, to Palm Springs, California, in September. The aircraft, which is on a long-term loan from the Archives, is now displayed alongside the Palm Springs Air Museum collection. This new exhibit highlights the history of the plane, showcasing its significance to The Walt Disney Company’s history and its relevance to the Palm Springs area.
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In 1963, Walt acquired the iconic Gulfstream. The interior of the plane, initially designed with creative input from Walt and his wife, Lillian, seated up to 15 passengers and included a galley kitchen, two restrooms, two couches, a desk, and nods to the mouse who started it all, including matchbooks and stationery adorned with a silhouette of Mickey Mouse. Mickey’s initials were eventually included in the tail number of the plane, too, as N234MM, in 1967. Throughout its 28 years of service to The Walt Disney Company, the plane flew 20,000 hours and transported an estimated 83,000 passengers before it was decommissioned.
The Palm Springs Air Museum is a living history museum that contains more than 75 vintage airframes, including those from the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk. The museum is also home to airframes from across the spectrum of military aviation: World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the F-117 Stealth Fighter. The planes are housed inside 91,000 square feet of open hangars and on the tarmac at a 10-acre facility. To learn more, visit PalmSpringsAirMuseum.org for visitor information.
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Photo Credit: D23 and Disney
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