Walt Disney's 'Mickey Mouse One' private jet restored after being left to rot for decades

Walt Disney's 'Mickey Mouse One' private jet restored after being left to rot for decades highlights the recovery of Walt Disney’s company aircraft, known as “Mickey Mouse One.” The Orange County Register reports that the Palm Springs Air and Space Museum has completed a three-year interior restoration of the 15-passenger Grumman Gulfstream I, returning it to the look of the 1960s era. Phoenix Air Group, based in Georgia, helped with the interior work, while Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Archives spent years restoring the exterior. The jet had sat neglected at Walt Disney World for decades, exposed to Florida’s heat and humidity after serving as part of a studio backlot tour at what is now Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The aircraft had been gutted, with the window seals deteriorated, cabin moisture damage, and components such as twin Rolls-Royce engines and cockpit equipment reportedly sold off. Disney bought the Gulfstream in late 1963 and customized the cabin with distinct areas for him and his wife, Lillian.