A major step has been taken toward bringing the next national aviation attraction to the State of Indiana and the City of Fort Wayne. The Board of Directors of the Aviation Adventure at the National Airmail Museum (NAM) have signed a Memo of Understanding (MOU) with the Fort Wayne Airport Authority toward leasing the historic Hangar Number Two at Smith Field. The hangar will serve as the future home of the National Airmail Museum with the goal of educating the public about Fort Wayne’s part in the early history of flight. Listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings, Smith Field’s Hangar Number Two was dedicated in 1930 as a stopover for pilots flying the mail cross country in the early days of America’s airmail service. The airmail’s mission was to fly the mail coast to coast in an unheard of 33 hours. Airmail pilots landed at Smith Field to fuel and repair their cloth covered airplanes and rest up for the next leg of their hazardous journey. The world’s most famous pilots including Charles Lindberg walked the floor of Hangar Number Two. Flying was hazardous in aviation’s early days and airmail pilots, who flew day and night through the worst weather, were more likely to die than survive their service. Three out of four airmail pilots, 75 percent of them, were killed in crashes in the early days of airmail service. These young men and women sacrificed much to deliver the mail and establish America’s commercial aviation industry in the process. Preserving the stories of these unsung heroes through interactive exhibits, virtual reality flying simulations and a movie theatre is the mission of the National Airmail Museum. Equally important is the museum’s educational component. The NAM will work with local school districts and educators to facilitate instruction in the physics and mechanics of flight. The museum will serve as a repository for artifacts from Fort Wayne’s own proud aviation history, from legendary pilots like Art Smith, war hero Captain Paul Baer and women’s aviation pioneer Margaret Ringenberg. The museum will also serve as headquarters for Chapter Two of the Experimental Aircraft Association which will introduce young people to exciting careers in aviation. The signing of the MOU with the airport authority signals the start of fundraising and construction of the NAM. To learn more about the museum, the pilots who flew the early airmail routes and Fort Wayne’s role in the birth of commercial aviation, go to our website, nationalairmailmuseum.org, for a virtual tour of the museum and its exhibits. You’ll also learn how to become part of this exciting adventure, how to contribute to our building fund and how to join our growing list of supporters. The City of Fort Wayne’s proud contribution to aviation history has never been forgotten but it has been overlooked. The Aviation Adventure at the National Airmail Museum will ensure that that history finally enjoys the limelight it so richly deserves. Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a fascinating ride!