One last flight

Published 9:00 pm Thursday, March 2, 2006

Delta Air Lines’ Ship 102, “The Spirit of Delta,” arrived in Atlanta today. It won’t fly again, and instead will become an exhibit in the Delta museum at Atlanta’s Hartfield-Jackson International Airport. Both the Associated Press http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/politics/14011147.htm and Atlanta Journal-Constitution had stories on the retirement ceremony. http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/delta/stories/0303spirit.html

Key Quote (from the AJC, which might require you to register): “The 1982 employee fund drive became a corporate legend and a vivid illustration of the ‘family’ culture Delta had built during its first few decades in the air. According to the company, the drive was conceived by three flight attendants who wanted to help Delta through what was then a rare financial slump. … ‘I’m glad it’s going to stay with the company, rather than going out to the arid desert,’ said one of the flight attendants, Ginny Oxford, now 59 and retired from Delta.”

As airplane museums go, this one seems pretty cool. http://www.deltamuseum.org For one thing, the gift shop is inside the hull of the first L-1011 ever built. And along with Delta’s first 767, it’s also got the airline’s first DC-3. I figure if I’m ever in Atlanta with some free time, I’ll check it out.

And in case you missed it, here’s the story http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/06/03/02/100bus_767001.cfm I did on the plane’s final visit to Paine Field, where it took its first test flights, back in 1982.

Key Quote: “‘It’s amazing that something that big and functional is going to be a museum piece,’ said Rob Elliott, Boeing’s chief 767 engineer.”