Back to Delta ....I go!!!!

Corporate America is a funny place.....sometimes you just have to hang on and ride the ride. At the end of May, Travelport and Delta announced that Delta was buying back control of their Reservation and Flight Control Systems and 178 people that support them...so on July 1, 2014....after having been gone from Delta for approx 20yrs....I'm back.
Woohoo...what a ride.......there are pros and cons, but it's a good job and perhaps I'll stay put until it's time for me to join Denny in retirement. On July 1 I decided it would be a good thing for me to be onsite at the Delta Headquarters to get all the "newbie" things taken care of....it was one busy day. Late in the afternon my brain needed a break so I walked over to the new Delta Flight Museum....it's only been open about 2mths and it's really amazing....
It is all in the first hangar Delta ever had. Work used to actually happen in these hangars years ago...now all that work is done at the jet base that is HUGE by comparision....

As you walk up to the Museum it has some of the old logos and printing.....

This is painted on the concrete....pretty cool

This is the front door...see the landing gear used as supports, pretty crafty!!!!

Once inside someone greets you at this desk....my ID (that was hot off the press) got me in for free, but adults pay $6 and kids $3....

Then you head into the prop room....Delta's very beginnings....a crop dusting airline...

One of the first passenger planes.....

Some more props from the beginning years........

Along the walls were memorabilia from the early years......uniforms...look at those hats!!

Crop Dusting years...........

Then....you walk through a wind tunnel..or time warp and you are in the jet age....

This jet was bought by the employees (payroll deducted) and given to Delta....yep waaaaay back.....came out of my paycheck in the early 1980's....it is retired now...there is a museum inside.

This is where the big red ribbon was cut when it was delivered......

Sitting one level above the 767 is the cockpit of an L1011....nice airplane in its day.

Sitting around and under the 767 are baggage carts that have items and information about Delta milestones....when we crossed the Pacific Ocean....

And first class changed a lot.........but nothing like today.....

Then we went Transatlantic and started partnering with other airlines....

And again...along the walls are items from yesteryear.....

These kiosk were set up for you to play Delta trivia....I didn't have time today, but I'll be back...

You can see these are under the wing of the 757 and you can see baggage carts with more memories in them.....

One of the coolest things in the new museum is a flight simulator....this is a 737 cockpit simulator and it's exactly like what pilots are trained on today....

And this is what a flight simulator used to be like....in 1941....big difference!!

I was very lucky in the fact that there was literally only about 10 people in the museum...so the the awesome 35yr Delta retiree that is "manning" the 737 simulator was willing to take me "for a training ride"

He's ready to go.....

We taxied out past the tower....

Took off and circled downtown Atlanta.......

It was so cool.....we took about 10min and it was time to line-up for a landing.....

It was a smoothe landing.........

We taxied past the Concourse Hotel......

Past the tower.........

And headed for our Gate........

Line up the nose with the yellow line and you'll be good to go...

And we made it...to Gate E11.......back in ATL....

NOW THAT WAS COOL!!!!!!

Out the door we popped and I was ready to go again....

More baggage carts showcasing more milestones....

The Delta mini-coop....used for some fun advertising and some events...

One more cockpit........

There is so much to see and I didn't have lots of time...so I basically ran through not stopping to really read anything....but it was a great afternoon break.....

Now that I'm a "Deltoid" again...I bet I'll make it back and take a little time to see things....