Atlanta, GA — A number of dignitaries and hundreds of interested visitors were on hand June 17 for the official grand opening of the Delta Flight Museum adjacent to the airline’s headquarters and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Delta CEO Richard Anderson was joined by Gov. Nathan Deal and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, both of whom spoke glowingly of Delta’s positive impact on the economy of the city, the state and the region.
Amid the aircraft and other memorabilia on display depicting decades of history, more than a dozen people walked the hangar before the ceremony and lined the stage during the event wearing company attire from various periods in Delta’s past. The grand opening event took place on the 85th anniversary of Delta’s first commercial flight.
Among those in attendance was Bill Love, a Delta retiree and Henry County resident who has spent a great deal of time volunteering at the museum and continues to enjoy being involved in its evolution. He spent 34 years as a Delta employee in various departments before retiring in 2001.
The museum started with just one or two planes, including a DC-3 that some retired mechanics worked on in their free time, Love said.
From time to time the museum will host a sale of memorabilia that collectors might be interested in, and the funds raised at those events helps keep the museum going, he added.
Love has quite a collection of Delta-related items himself.
“I’ve been collecting Delta pins and buttons for years,” he said. “Even though I’m not working there now, when new ones come in people try to hold them for me or send them to me. I have cases filled with them.”
Delta museum has big grand opening