First look: A revamped Delta Flight Museum

The museum had its first moment in the spotlight hosting Delta’s centennial gala earlier this month, but it opens to the public April 7.

Nina Thomas, the museum’s director of exhibits and public programs, said “it just was time” for the renovation.

“You couldn’t really do what we wanted to do and change the experience without really updating things,” she said.

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Museum leaders wanted exhibits that could be more flexible, and they wanted to ground the museum in a coherent story, she said.

The prior museum, Thomas said, aligned more with Delta’s roots as a Southern carrier than the global brand it has fostered for itself in recent years.

“The hangar was pretty empty before,” she said. “There was really nothing on any of the walls. There wasn’t a lot of interaction.”

The exhibits also didn’t “have a start. So people would kind of wander around, and there was really no theme,” Thomas said.

“It was sort of a free-for-all.”

Now the museum has a welcome video outlining its 100-year history, and a strategic flow of exhibits including a focus on the history of the museum’s 1940s-era hangars and its roots as a crop duster, tons of archival flight attendant and pilot uniforms and plenty of historic Delta swag.

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

The dedicated kids climbing area with a slide is also an important change, she said. Before, kids “just kind of came in and ran around and screamed.”

Diane Carvelli, a former Delta flight attendant, called the refresh “beautiful … the displays just kind of jump out at you.”

“It used to be it looked like just a regular hangar with all the airplanes.”

Carvelli herself appears as a hologram in a revamped exhibit telling the story of the “Spirt of Delta” plane, which she and other employees decided to raise $30 million to purchase in 1982 as the company’s first Boeing 767. It was, she said, a way to thank the company for not laying them off during a tumultuous time in the industry.

The Spirit of Delta flew until 2005.

“They came up with the idea: ‘Look at what (Delta) did for us. We got to keep our jobs. We were not furloughed, we were not put out on the street. What can we do to show our appreciation?‘” recalled Kevin Hiatt, a former Delta pilot and volunteer museum docent.

The museum’s refresh also removed portions of the original Spirit of Delta seats and bulkhead to make it accessible for people with disabilities, Thomas said.

The Delta Flight Museum, which saw about 150,000 visitors last year, has three purposes: as a corporate archive for the company, a public museum and a robustly-used events space.

Hiatt says it also serves an important purpose for Delta in sharing its history and culture with new employees. “It instills on the new employee that comes on board with Delta the legacy of this airline. We’ve been here for 100 years.”

When he gives tours, he said he’s also seen it inspire students to start a career in aviation.

While the museum is an independent 501(c)(3), the Delta Foundation chipped in $3 million for the renovation. Current Delta corporate partners including Airbus, Boeing and American Express also sponsored exhibits.

But because of that events business, it is important to check the museum’s calendar before planning a visit. During the month of April it will only be open to the public April 7-8, 13, 15, 17, 27 and 28.

Tickets cost $20 for adults and $15 for kids 5-17. Admission is free for kids under 5 and for Delta employees and contractors.

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has launched a series of stories to mark the 100th anniversaries of both Delta Air Lines and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.