Where is Walt's plane? UPDATE - Coming to D23 2022

Goofyernmost

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
This is a post I did on another thread that should have been here....

The thing is that I don't believe it was restored or that it is no longer still sitting in that field at WDW. They don't spend money on anything and they don't need that plane unless they are planning to sell it. First off, it has no engines and hasn't since it was put in DHS. It was repainted or the "wrap" removed when it was put out in the field. The engines were removed and sold shortly after the World Drive landing. The most they might have done, if anything at all, is repaint it. Think about it folks, there are pictures of it with Walt using it. Walt has been dead for 55 years. That dog don't hunt no more and that deteriorating pile of scrap metal don't fly no more.

All that said, I would like to see the shell displayed someplace but the whole idea that it has been restored is ridiculous in my opinion. Partial at best, just like it was shown in DHS. We had the pleasure of seeing it for about 30 years in a park that Walt never saw or even dreamed about. If they are going to display it permanently, logically it would be in the place that made ownership of it possible, California (i.e. Disneyland).
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Tom Morrow

Tom Morrow

Well-Known Member
A certain devious Youtuber snuck into it a few years ago and filmed the interior, and it was completely stripped. Just a metal husk. The video is still there and easy to find if you want to see it.

So while it's possible they restored the interior since then, it seems unlikely, and there's no way it will ever be in the air again.

That said, I think it deserves to be at WDW considering its role in its creation.
 
G

GimpYancIent

Well-Known Member
Too many describe the plane as a husk and other less than complimentary comments. The plane is still The Plane the interior, instrumentation, engines and other components can be replicated or salvaged from many sources and refurbished. The manufacturer still has the blueprints and manuals. A little dedicated elbow grease and the Disney plane can be restored. It is not to the level of scrap metal by a long shot. The question is does Disney have the spine to do the right thing?
 
TikibirdLand

TikibirdLand

Well-Known Member
GimpYancIent said:
Too many describe the plane as a husk and other less than complimentary comments. The plane is still The Plane the interior, instrumentation, engines and other components can be replicated or salvaged from many sources and refurbished. The manufacturer still has the blueprints and manuals. A little dedicated elbow grease and the Disney plane can be restored. It is not to the level of scrap metal by a long shot. The question is does Disney have the spine to do the right thing?
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Uh. No, no they don't. BTW, I'm a big restoration nut. I've done my share of orphaned automotive models. The internet has made it almost trivial to find what's needed. That includes aircraft parts. One missing thing here is how to get an airframe re-certified. It's been done before; I remember the B29 bomber trapped in ice many years ago. The Confederate (uh, Commemorative) Air Force have regularly been restoring WWII planes to flyable condition. I'm not finding any Gulfstream I's available for sale in flyable condition. So, it'd be hard to put a value on this one once it reached that condition. King Air's go for around $1.5M in flyable condition. So, I'd think a Gulfstream I could easily exceed that. And, being a plane tied directly to the Disney Company, it could bring multiples of that. But, what would the cost of restoration run?
 
articos

articos

Well-Known Member
muddyrivers said:
I wonder if they'll actually get this plane certified to fly again or if it's just being restored for display purposes and transported to California. If the former, that takes a lot of money and I believe would require some new technology installed to be compliant with current FAA standards. I would be very impressed if Disney invested that much money in this older plane.
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She’s being restored for display. Haven’t heard anything about flightworthy.
 
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articos

articos

Well-Known Member
TikibirdLand said:
Uh. No, no they don't. BTW, I'm a big restoration nut. I've done my share of orphaned automotive models. The internet has made it almost trivial to find what's needed. That includes aircraft parts. One missing thing here is how to get an airframe re-certified. It's been done before; I remember the B29 bomber trapped in ice many years ago. The Confederate (uh, Commemorative) Air Force have regularly been restoring WWII planes to flyable condition. I'm not finding any Gulfstream I's available for sale in flyable condition. So, it'd be hard to put a value on this one once it reached that condition. King Air's go for around $1.5M in flyable condition. So, I'd think a Gulfstream I could easily exceed that. And, being a plane tied directly to the Disney Company, it could bring multiples of that. But, what would the cost of restoration run?
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N234MM has current certification. WDW Co. keeps the plane’s FAA cert up to date. I would not recommend trying to fly her though.
 
TikibirdLand

TikibirdLand

Well-Known Member
articos said:
N234MM has current certification. WDW Co. keeps the plane’s FAA cert up to date. I would not recommend trying to fly her though.
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N732G look to have been retired after Walt's death (Sept 1967). It appears that N234MM wasn't used on the Gulfstream until then. Before that, it was attached to a King Air that seems to have received it in 1965. Not sure what happened to N732G; does this mean it's available?
 
Bullseye1967

Bullseye1967

Is that who I am?
Premium Member
TikibirdLand said:
N732G look to have been retired after Walt's death (Sept 1967). It appears that N234MM wasn't used on the Gulfstream until then. Before that, it was attached to a King Air that seems to have received it in 1965. Not sure what happened to N732G; does this mean it's available?
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It is registered but not to Disney.

Screenshot 2022-01-15 143020.png
 
flynnibus

flynnibus

Premium Member
I'd be really curious about the timeline.

From what it looks like, they would have had to break down the plane to get it to that reedy creek lot. Yet it was wrapped up tight while on that lot.. inferring it had something worth protecting more than what they had done years prior. Was the exterior work done at that point?. If they had to break it down to get it to that lot, why reassemble it there vs storing it with the wings off, etc.

I'm super curious about the sequence of events here...
 

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