The Palm Springs Air Museum is hosting Walt Disney's Grumman Gulfstream I plane nicknamed "The Mouse," which is now on display for the public.
"We are so happy to have Walt's plane make a `landing' at the Palm Springs Air Museum, just a few miles from where Walt and his family had vacation homes at Smoke Tree Ranch,” said Walt Disney Archives Director, Rebecca Cline, in an article published by the Palm Desert Patch. “It is the ideal setting for this incredible icon."
The plane traveled from Anaheim to Palm Springs for its community unveiling. To coincide with the aircraft's debut, the museum intends to build a new exhibit and have it ready by Dec. 5, Disney's birthday, according to the article. The exhibit will highlight the plane's history and its ties to Palm Springs. It also will show Disney’s favorite seat and a telephone handset that he used to communicate with the pilot.
The Palm Springs Air Museum described some of the luxuries that would have awaited Disney and up to 14 passengers on ‘The Mouse,’ which he acquired in 1963. Disney’s creativity (and that of his wife, Lillian) extended to the interior of the iconic plane with its galley kitchen, two restrooms, dual couches, and a desk. True to its name, the plane also included matchbooks and stationery that had a silhouette of Mickey Mouse.
In 1967, Mickey's initials embellished the tail number of the plane, N234MM, the museum stated on its website. The Walt Disney Company kept ‘The Mouse’ in action for 28 years flying 20,000 hours and transported an estimated 83,000 passengers before retiring.
Besides Disney, ‘The Mouse’ transported two presidents—Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan— both frequent visitors of the Palm Springs area, according to the Palm Desert Patch. As part of its exhibit, the museum plans to highlight ‘The Mouse's’ role throughout Walt Disney Company history, the article stated.