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PALM SPRINGS, Calif., Dec. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On Walt Disney's birthday, Monday, December 5, 2022, at 5:30 PM there will be a VIP Birthday Party in honor of Walt Disney in celebration of the opening of a new exhibit to accompany Walt Disney's Grumman Gulfstream 1 Airplane. Rarely exhibited items from the aircraft's interior will be on display to visitors at the Palm Springs Air Museum. Items include a customized instrument panel originally located near Walt's favorite onboard seat that allowed him to monitor flight conditions; a telephone handset that gave Walt a direct line of communication to the pilot in the cockpit; a flight bag featuring an image of Mickey Mouse sitting on the tail of the iconic plane; and more.
The VIP party includes birthday cake, Walt's Chili—made from his special recipe, and an important announcement will be made regarding the interior of the airplane. [mention of documentary if okayed by Disney]
Walt Disney's Grumman Gulfstream I plane journeyed from D23 Expo 2022 in Anaheim to Palm Springs, California last month. The airplane, which is on a long-term loan, is now displayed alongside the Palm Springs Air Museum collection. This new exhibit will highlight the history of the plane—also known affectionately as "The Mouse"—and showcase its significance to The Walt Disney Company's history and its relevance to the Palm Springs Area.
In 1963, Walt acquired the iconic Gulfstream that would come to be known as "The Mouse." 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 grounded.
When they visit the Palm Spring Air Museum, guests will have the opportunity to learn about the role this iconic plane has played throughout the company's history:
The Palm Springs Air Museum is a living history museum that contains over 75 vintage airframes from the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk, across spectrum of Military Aviation, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the F-117 Stealth Fighter inside the new Jim Houston Pavilion, to significant civilian aircraft like Clay Lacey's Lear 24. Many of the aircraft are airworthy and flown regularly. The planes are housed inside 91,000 square feet of open hangars and on the tarmac at our ten-acre facility. Additional displays and memorabilia are located throughout the hangars. The Museum is open daily from 10 am until 5 PM. Kids 12 and under get in free with paid adult admission. Warbird rides are also available. For more info, visit PalmSpringsAirMuseum.org or call 760-778-6262 during business hours.
About the Walt Disney ArchivesFor more than 50 years, the Walt Disney Archives has carefully safeguarded the most treasured items from The Walt Disney Company's history, including original scripts, movie props and costumes, Walt Disney's correspondence and script notes, theme park artifacts, merchandise, millions of archival photographs, and many of Walt's personal effects. Founded by Disney Legend Dave Smith in 1970, the Walt Disney Archives is a vital resource for every part of Disney, as well as an important research center for Disney scholars, researchers, and writers. The Archives also shares its countless pieces with Disney fans everywhere through its exhibitions and close association with D23: The Official Disney Fan Club.
The Palm Springs Air Museum is an educational non-profit organization whose mission is to Preserve, Educate and Honor.
PALM SPRINGS AIR MUSEUM
745 N. Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs, CA 92262
(760) 778-6262 / www.PalmSpringsAirMuseum.org
PRESS CONTACT:
Ann Greer – (323) 363-8243
ann@palmspringsairmuseum.org
Palm Springs Air Museum
Jeffrey R. Epstein (818) 560-8125
Jeffrey.R.Epstein@Disney.com
The Walt Disney Company
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SOURCE Palm Springs Air Museum