In Photos: A Visit to the New Delta Flight Museum

DALLAS — The Delta Flight Museum has undergone a major upgrade in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of Delta Air Lines' (DL) founding. Museum executive director Kelley Moore invited Airways to a preview tour prior to its public opening on April 7.

As the site is just a Wright Flight from the airline’s headquarters at ATL and minutes from ATL’s domestic and international terminals, the museum is an excellent visit for anyone in Atlanta or at the airport for an extended layover.

The new tour begins with a three-wall video, Taking Flight, that tells the story of the airline’s rise from a crop-dusting operation to a leading global airline.

As the video ends, the doors open, allowing visitors to pass into the museum’s Legacy Hangar, where they can get close to a restored DC-3, a Travel Air, and other aircraft.

New interactive displays that show behind-the-scenes operations, such as metal working and upholstery creation, are now in place, as is a children’s aviation Adventure area sponsored by Airbus.

Where previously there was a large, static display of model airplanes, there is now a kinetic display of model planes flying. 

This display leads to the famous “Fly Delta Jets” hallway, still in place, moving us toward the Spirit Hangar.  

Remaining front and center in this hangar is the Spirit of Delta, the Boeing 767 purchased for the airline by employees in 1982. Prominently featured in the plane is a new hologram exhibit of former flight attendant Diane Carvelli, one of the three FAs who brainstormed and led the campaign to raise funds for the jet.

In the exhibit, Ms. Carvelli, who was also on hand to talk to reporters, reminisced about the campaign, the airline's history, and the spirit and pride employees feel for the airline.

Another prominent display in the hanger is the Colors of Delta, a display of memorabilia and uniforms that honors the multitude of airlines that were brought into Delta through buyouts or mergers.

Of course, the pièce de résistance for AvGeeks is the B737-200 simulator on the hangar's upper level. Although it costs a relatively sizeable additional fee, it’s well worth the cost if you can afford it.

The museum made 15-minute flights available during the press tour, and I’m happy to report I successfully took off and landed at JAX without unaliving anyone (albeit with the help of a well-seasoned first officer).

The four aircraft – a DC-7B, a DC-9, a B-757, and a B747- remain on display outside the museum. The museum’s 747 Experience allows you to enter the aircraft, sit on the upper deck, walk out on a wing, and see what goes on “behind the walls” of an aircraft.

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