The cover of the Delta Dreamflight press kit, 1989.
Delta Dreamflight was a ride at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Opened in 1989, it replaced one of my favorite rides as a kid, If You Had Wings, which was sponsored by Eastern Airlines. When Eastern dropped their sponsorship, Delta stepped in and became the official airline of Walt Disney World. This media package was released during the opening festivities and contains promotional materials, Delta collateral and a photo. I’ve scanned some of the more interesting material. Click to enlarge.
I’m a commercial aviation buff, and I’m very familiar with airplane depicted above. This is the Martin M-130 flying boat. Pan American World Airways was the only airline in America to fly these glorious clippers, making it sort of odd that Delta would choose to include it in their ride. Nevertheless, as a romantic depiction of the history of commercial aviation, you could do far worse.
As a side note, after Dreamflight (or Take Flight as it would later be known) shut down to make way for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, the M-130 set piece was relocated to the Orlando Science Center. For a year or so, they had an aviation exhibit there, and the passageway through which the ride vehicles pass through in the photo, was turned into the entrance to the exhibit hall. I don’t know where it ended up, but it’s definitely not on display at the museum any more. If anyone knows where it is now, please comment or send me an email!
One of the most interesting marketing items in the package is this piece which was clearly aimed toward film and tv production companies. It outlines the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar filming set that was stored at Disney MGM Studios. This was a real L-1011 which was decommissioned, chopped up and fitted to serve as a set for scenes that needed to be filmed inside a commercial airliner. I recall that much of the filming for “Passenger 57” took place on this old girl.
Interestingly, this was the original prototype L-1011 built by Lockheed. The history of this aircraft can be read online at the Delta Flight Museum. It was moved out of Disney MGM Studios in 1999, relocated to Atlanta, GA where it became part of the museum.
Delta Dreamflight External Links
Disney Park Blog – Some high quality photos from Disney’s own park blog.
Walt Dated World – Some history, photos and the song lyrics.
