US House taps Fort Wayne hangar for National Airmail Museum

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - The U.S. House has approved legislation designating a large aircraft hangar in Fort Wayne as the site of a proposed National Airmail Museum.

The legislation the U.S. House approved Thursday reauthorizes the Federal Aviation Administration for six years, but it also includes a provision from Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana that designates the hangar at Fort Wayne's Smith Field as the National Airmail Museum.

The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette reports that Banks' amendment would prohibit using federal funds for development of the museum, which would be privately financed.

Banks says the museum would become "a vital tool to educate the American people on the significant role airmail played in the evolution of aviation."

The National Airmail Museum would include aircraft displays, interactive exhibits, photography displays, a gift shop and a cafe.

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Information from: The Journal Gazette, http://www.journalgazette.net