Delta Heritage Museum Visit

My wife and I recently returned to Atlanta to visit some friends. As a former employee of Delta Air Lines I wanted to check out the Delta Air Lines Heritage Museum. The museum is located on the north side of Hartsfield Atlanta Jackson Airport at the Delta Headquarters in Hapeville, GA. This is definitely a museum worth visiting.

I remember visiting the museum back in the early 2000s before I left the company. I was surprised to see some of the additions to the museum. First – the parking area is actually part of the museum. From the parking lot you can see the nostalgic looking Delta Air Lines signs on the original hangars the company used back in the 30’s. They also added a B757, MD 88 and the huge B747-400 to the display in the parking lot.. I later found out the 747 is the first production -400. Pretty cool.

The creation of Mr. C. E. Woolman the museum exhibits show Delta’s beginning as the first aerial crop spraying company in the world – in 1924 based at the time in Macon, GA. The company operated Huff Daland Duster biplanes. These airplanes also sprayed crops in south America during the winter months in the states. The Duster was a very unique airplane. Only two original airframes still exist; one hanging from the ceiling at the Udvar Hazy Center near Dulles International Airport Baltimore, MD and the other at the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham, AL.

The museum includes several former Delta airplanes on display. The first is the original Travel Aire used to start passenger service June 17, 1929. The headquarters started in Monroe, LA and ultimately moved later to Atlanta, GA. When I was still employed with Delta they still held their annual shareholders meeting in Monroe. Another of the original aircraft is the Douglas DC-3 Ship 41. The airplane was located in the late 1990’s in South America and completely restored by the Delta Heritage Foundation and Delta Air Lines employees. When completed the airplane won the coveted Grand Champion award at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh the year it was completed.

The centerpiece of the second hangar is the B767 Spirit of Delta Air Lines. This airplane was the flagship of the Delta Air Lines fleet during my entire employment with the company. This is the aircraft the employees bought for the company back in the 1980’s. This was also the airplane that flew the 1996 Atlanta Olympics colors as Delta was the official airline of the Olympic Games. I actually worked on this airplane. The cabin is open to visitors with various displays taking up the aft part of the interior. The cockpit is not accessible, but you can get good pictures of the flight deck. Being able to step into this cabin again brought back a ton of good memories of my time with Delta. There is a good company store at exit of the museum.

As you leave there are a few airplanes in the parking lot that are worth looking into, especially the B747. This was the first production B747-100 off the production line. The interior is open with several areas of floor and ceiling panels removed and replaced with plexiglass to give a wonderful view of the inner workings of the flight controls and environmental systems. You can climb the stairs to the upper deck and see the Delta One first class compartments. What a great way to travel. Wonder what the cost of one of those seats runs? The flight deck is closed off, but the plexiglass is only about 4 feet high, so you get a great view of the cockpit and controls. Be sure to look out the first officer window to get a great view of the B757 outside. Great comparison of how tall the B747 sits compared to it smaller brother.

The museum docents are former Delta Air Lines employees and are very knowledgeable and willing to share their experiences. This is a wonderful museum with a ton of aviation history. The display aircraft are in perfect condition and displays give a full history of the airline. As the oldest legacy airline still in operation Delta Air Lines represents a true American aviation success story. I will always cherish my time with Delta. Great airline, great friends, great opportunity to learn the aviation industry.

Additional Museum Information

Official Website : https://www.deltamuseum.org

Summary

Thanks to everyone who made my time there extremely memorable. I will always be grateful to my Delta Air Line roots and plan to visit the museum on future visits to the Atlanta area.

Your comments and feedback are appreciated. I hope you return often.

Blessings