Aircraft, Walt Disney’s The company plane was a pride and joy of Walt Disney. Throughout his career, the company used three planes, beginning with a Beechcraft Queen Air (1963–1965). The plane was traded in for a new tan and brown turboprop, the Beechcraft King Air (1965–1967), which was chosen for its fast and quiet features and used the N234MM tail number. The Disney pilots would make their initial air traffic call-ups, “Two, three, four, metro metro,” but would also try, “Two, three, four, Mickey Mouse,” an improper FAA communication. Soon, FAA en-route controllers began calling the Disney plane the “Mickey Mouse.” Other corporate pilots became quite jealous of Disney’s special treatment. A Grumman Gulfstream I was put in service in 1964 and was used to survey the Walt Disney World property during the Florida land acquisition along with other corporate purposes. Retired from service, the Gulfstream made its final landing on World Drive at Walt Disney World in 1992 and was put on display at the Studio Backlot Tour at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
