Walt Disneys Mickey Mouse One private jet restored after being left to rot for decades

Walt Disney’s forgotten plane is getting its happily ever after.The late entertainment titan’s company aircraft — affectionately known as “Mickey Mouse One” — has been restored to its 1960s glory after spending years crumbling in the Florida heat and humidity, according to the Orange County Register.The Palm Springs Air and Space Museum has completed work on the interior of the historic Grumman Gulfstream I, bringing the 15-passenger jet back to the way it looked when Disney himself used it to crisscross the country during one of the company’s most important eras.The meticulous three-year interior restoration was done with help from Georgia-based Phoenix Air Group, while Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Archives spent years restoring the plane’s exterior.The aircraft had been left neglected for decades at Walt Disney World, where it sat exposed to the brutal Florida weather after years as part of the studio backlot tour at what is now Disney’s Hollywood Studios.California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

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Never miss a story By the time Disney officials turned their attention back to the plane, the seal around the windows had deteriorated, moisture had damaged the cabin and the once-proud aircraft had been gutted and wrapped in plastic in a fenced-of field behind Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the Register reported.The plane’s twin Rolls-Royce engeines and cockpit equipment had also been sold off.But the aircraft’s place in Disney history made it impossible to ignore.Disney began looking for his own plane in 1960 after souring on commercial air travel.He first bought a Beechcraft Queen Air in 1962, but quickly needed something more capable as the company’s travel demands grew.The Gulfstream was purchased in late 1963 and customized with a rust, orange,...