With the majority of Walt Disney World always looking magical, it is hard to imagine that there are sections that may look a little abandoned.
With Disney World being the size of San Francisco, there is plenty of room to place things that may not be in use. In the past, we have talked about the now abandoned airport that was active on property for a few years. There has also been an entire water park, River Country, that was empty for many years, and before Disney’s Art of Animation was built, the space was home to what many Guests called a “ghost hotel” as it was abandoned during construction.
Now, it seems that Walt Disney’s personal airplane, the Grumman G-159 Gulfstream 1, which Walt used to travel between Burbank and Orlando, is looking rather unattended to as well. Walt’s airplane currently sits in a service area north of Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
In a recent snapshot from photographer Bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct), we can see that the cover on the plane is starting to come apart, which could be cause for water pooling in the aircraft casing.
Aerial look at Walt’s plane in a service area of Walt Disney World. Seems like part of the tail is exposed, and rain could be collecting inside if plastic is well-sealed below.
@WDWGuestService could you pass this report along to appropriate maintenance to check on conditions?
Aerial look at Walt’s plane in a service area of Walt Disney World. Seems like part of the tail is exposed, and rain could be collecting inside if plastic is well-sealed below.@WDWGuestService could you pass this report along to appropriate maintenance to check on conditions? pic.twitter.com/Ycq4RkHFt5
— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) August 22, 2021
Hopefully, the exposed area of the covering has not caused any damage to the plane’s exterior. Personally, I would love to see this plane used in one of the Disney World Parks, considering the historical significance that it holds. It almost seems wrong not to have the plane in an area that Guests can look at!
Theme Park Architect (@ParkArchitect) responded to the Tweet with an interesting update on why the plane was moved and why it has not moved since.
It was repainted when we started the DHS expansion and at one point it was planned for relocation to Glendale but no one wanted to fund the shipping cost. Disney optioned it to Florida air museums but no takers. The inside is gutted. This is where it landed (pun intended).
It was repainted when we started the DHS expansion and at one point it was planned for relocation to Glendale but no one wanted to fund the shipping cost. Disney optioned it to Florida air museums but no takers. The inside is gutted. This is where it landed (pun intended).
— Theme Park Architect (@ParkArchitect) August 22, 2021
For now, it seems that the plane will remain in its current location for the foreseeable future.
Where would you like to see Walt’s plane in Disney World?
