Disney's Gulfstream G650ER flies a local hop as restored 'Mickey Mouse One' debuts

Disney's Gulfstream G650ER, N650WW, performed a brief local flight from Hollywood Burbank Airport on May 21, barely climbing to 750 feet before returning. The zero-duration hop likely marks a maintenance or crew check, but it lands the same week the Walt Disney Archives revealed the meticulously restored interior of Walt Disney's original company plane, the Grumman Gulfstream I known as "The Mouse," at the Palm Springs Air Museum, per a MickeyBlog report on May 2.

That restoration, part of D23's "A Toast to Walt's Plane" celebration for Walt Disney's 125th birthday, brings the 1963 aircraft back to its 1960s appearance. The plane logged nearly 20,000 flight hours over 28 years and carried 83,000 passengers, helping expand Disney's coast-to-coast operations. Meanwhile, Disney Experiences announced a senior leadership shake-up on May 18, with new presidents for Walt Disney World, Disney Signature Experiences, and Disneyland Paris, as covered by The Walt Disney Company.

The local flight may be unrelated, but it underscores Disney's continued investment in its aviation heritage and global expansion, even as the company navigates streaming growth and theme park attendance headwinds detailed in its Q2 2026 earnings.