Story ID: 042
Walt Disney's Other Mouse
By: Dale Smith
Caption: Walt Disney used various aircraft to support his numerous projects, but the one most associated with him was his beloved Gulfstream I.
Word Count: 1676
While Walt Disney used various commercial and business aircraft to support his many entertainment, entrepreneurial, and philanthropic projects, the one most closely associated with the man and his dreams was his beloved Grumman Gulfstream I.
Think about it: in one way or another, whether through movies, TV, or a visit to the “Happiest Place On Earth,” the talents of Walter Elias (Walt) Disney have touched all of our lives.
Disney was a gifted storyteller and visionary with uncommon curiosity. And one thing he was particularly interested in was the various means by which one could visit far-off places.
It’s a Small World, After All
“Walt was interested in all forms of transportation. We all know how much he loved trains, but he was also intrigued by ocean liners,” explained Rebecca Cline, director of the Walt Disney Archives. “He traveled the country extensively by train and made frequent crossings to Europe.”
Cline said Disney had also been intrigued by aviation. In 1911, as a 10-year-old, he and his older brother Roy ran two miles to see Calbraith Perry Rodgers land the Vin Fiz Wright Flyer EX in Swope Park in Kansas City during the first transcontinental flight.
But, while various factors kept flying out of reach, they never left his heart. It wasn’t until years later, while on one of his trips to Paris, that Walt finally realized his dream of flight.
“Walt was in Paris at the end of World War 1 and while on tour, he spotted a French military airplane sitting in a field,” explained Ed Ovalle, senior archivist at Walt Disney Archives. “He wanted to take a flight, but the officers told him it was only for French military personnel.”
His philosophy was, “the way to get started is to quit talking and start doing.” So, he did. As he related the story, later on, Disney said, “But 50 francs I had saved up made a French aviation mechanic wink at the law, and I had my thirst to fly satisfied for the first time.”
Walt Disney’s Gulfstream I (nicknamed the “Mouse”) was used not only for travel but after his death in 1966, increasingly for educational outreach and charitable programs.
 
Disney Moves into Business Aviation with a Queen
While Disney understood the benefits aviation would bring to his growing movie production business, aviation in the 1930s and '40s, like ink and paint animation, was very expensive. But, as his business grew, he increasingly used commercial flying to complement his travel needs. Aviation introduced him to a new world of efficiency and flexibility.
“In the late 1950s and early '60s, he was traveling so much between California and his various projects in the central and eastern U.S. that he decided to try private aviation,” Cline said. “He started chartering airplanes out of Burbank, and then in 1963 he purchased his first airplane, a new Beechcraft Queen Air 80.”
But, as capable as the Queen Air was, as his projects continued to grow and spread across the country, its limited speed and range couldn’t keep up with Disney’s demanding schedule.
“In particular, he was making frequent trips to New York in preparation for the 1964 World’s Fair,” Ovalle added. “To make those trips easier, Walt bought a new Grumman Gulfstream I turboprop. Now he could make it from California to New York nonstop.”
While there were undoubtedly early-generation business jets available to him, Disney was sold on the Gulfstream’s long, large, and comfortable 15-place stand-up cabin.
“The Gulfstream allowed him to no longer rely on commercial airlines. He could set his schedule and go wherever he wanted,” Ovalle said. “He had several projects in the works, and the airplane allowed him to visit many airports that the airlines didn’t service.”
One interesting side note is that the Gulfstream’s original N-number was 732G, which it kept until 1963 when it was changed to 234MM. While “Mickey Mouse” would seem the perfect “vanity plate,” according to Ovalle, the company didn’t request the number; it was what the FAA changed it to. Perhaps it was just Oklahoma City’s way of paying homage to Disney.
Anyway, it wasn’t long before N234MM was nicknamed “the Mouse.” Cline added that as air traffic controllers became aware of the airplane’s owner, it was often called November 234 Mickey Mouse.
“He really loved his flying office,” Cline said. “There was no wasted time when he flew. He could have his home team of Imagineers on board, which was point-to-point working. That was Walt. The airplane was a great business tool for him.”
And while Disney wasn’t a licensed pilot, he loved to spend time in the flight deck. Another nod to his interest in flying, his crew had his favorite seat—in the back, left corner of the cabin—equipped with an altimeter, a Mickey Mouse clock, and a dedicated phone he could use to talk to the pilots.
With its range and ability to land at smaller airports, Cline explained that the big turboprop was a great asset when Disney and his team went on scouting missions looking at locations and details for new attractions or movies.
“For example, because Walt was a stickler for accuracy when they started to research the setting for a new attraction at Disneyland, they flew down to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to visit the famous Castillo San Felipe del Morro fortress,” Cline said. “That became one of the locations found in our Pirates of the Caribbean attractions.”
And, of course, there were frequent trips from California to Central Florida as Disney and the team began “The Florida Project.” It was probably the regularity of those cross-countries that the decision was made to upgrade to a new Gulfstream II jet.
Unfortunately, Disney passed away before the new jet was built, so the order was canceled.
G1 Recast into New Role
While the Gulfstream’s primary mission was for business use, the much-loved Mouse made frequent family vacation flights around California and to the Disney family’s weekend home in Palm Springs.
In fact, Disney’s last trip on the Gulfstream was flying back from Palm Springs to Anaheim on Nov. 30, 1966.
After his passing, the airplane continued to serve the company’s missions in the western U.S. until it was transferred to full-time operations out of Orlando in 1985.
With Walt Disney World open and cross-country flying being taken over by jets, the Mouse became a full-time flying ambassador for the company’s numerous charitable and educational outreach programs.
After 20 years in that role, on Oct. 8, 1992, Disney’s beloved G1 made its last landing on World Drive in the center of Disney World property. During its nearly 30 years of service, the G1 had accumulated almost 20,000 flight hours and transported an estimated 83,000 passengers.
“Because of its significance to Walt, the decision was made to make the Gulfstream part of the Backstage Studio Tour at the then-recently opened Disney-MGM Studios theme park,” Cline said. “After nearly 20 years as an attraction, and with the reimagining of the park, the airplane was moved to a non-public location in 2014.”
“That’s when we started trying to decide what to do with it for the long term,” she added. “Our Imagineers in Orlando took care of it the best they could. The engines and cockpit had all been removed when it was relocated to the park, but the windows were leaking, and it had other areas of corrosion. It was never going to fly again.”
Walt’s Winged Mouse Gets New House
After much deliberation, Cline said the decision was made to refurbish the exterior of the Gulfstream and truck it to southern California for display during the D23 Expo, a fan event held in September in Anaheim.
Before being disassembled and trucked from Orlando to Anaheim, Disney Imagineers repainted the airplane in the orange and black Walt Disney Productions’ scheme Disney’s wife, Lillian, selected back in 1963.
“We were kicking off the Disney Company’s birthday celebration, and we felt D23 was a great way to show off Walt’s airplane,” she explained. “When D23 ended, the airplane was disassembled and trucked to the Palm Springs Air Museum for long-term display.”
“Everyone here is extremely excited to welcome Walt’s airplane to our collection,” said Fred Bell, vice chairman of the Palm Springs Air Museum. “I saw the airplane on display 35 years ago and said it needed to be in a museum. We’re thrilled it’s coming here.”
Bell said that initially, the airplane will be put in the museum’s outdoor display, but a new indoor facility is under construction. Phase one of the exhibit is scheduled to open on December fifth to celebrate Walt’s 101st birthday.
“The plan is to get a donor Gulfstream I to use for replacing airframe parts that are beyond repair,” he continued. “Ultimately, we will refurbish the cockpit and cabin to give visitors a chance to see what it was like when Walt used it.”
“We’re also going to put vinyl coverings over the windows, and the one beside Walt’s seat will have his silhouette in the window,” Bell said. “It will be a neat easter egg for Disney fans.”
“Walt had a family vacation home in Smoke Tree Ranch in Palm Springs, which is very close to the airport,” Cline added. “He and his family flew in and out of there a lot, and I think having the Mouse on display at the museum would make him very happy.”