Walt Disney's Grumman Gulfstream I plane is back on the west coast after a cross-country journey by ground ahead of its September 9 appearance at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, California.
The newly repainted plane with updated wing edges and windows will be on view along with never-before-exhibited items from the aircraft’s interior, including 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 Mouse" will be on display in a specially curated exhibit in the Arena of the Anaheim Convention Center called Mickey Mouse One: Walt’s Plane presented by Amazon.
For many years, the plane sat on the backlot near Catastrophe Canyon at Disney's Hollywood Studios, part of the Studio Backlot Tour.
The 1963 GRUMMAN G-159 with registration N234MM was nick-named Mickey Mouse One, and was used by Walt to scout for locations to build Walt Disney World.
The Studio Backlot Tour closed in 2014, with Walt's plane stored backstage at Walt Disney World.
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