Under a bill the state Legislature passed and will send to Gov. John Kasich, the license plate would be one of dozens motorists can attach to their vehicle’s bumper.
“It certainly helps with brand recognition,” said Ron Kaplan, the hall’s enshrinement director. “Anecdotally, we know that quite a few people don’t know that the National Aviation Hall of Fame is in Dayton. We hope this helps with awareness for the Hall of Fame being here versus say Washington. D.C.”
The hall enshrines more than 200 pioneering aviators, from Amelia Earhart to Neil Armstrong, for achievements in aviation and space.
The license plate would be branded with the hall’s gold logo, which executive director Amy Spowart hopes will become “easily recognizable just like Coca Cola or any other brand.”
The non-profit Hall of Fame would collect $15 from every plate sold, Spowart said. She figured at least a quarter of the 7,500 people who are NAHF members live in Ohio.
“Every little but helps,” she said. “I’d be happy to see 1,000 plates sold in this state.”
State Rep. Niraj Antani, R-Miami Twp., added the NAHF specialty plate to an omnibus bill that unveiled a host of new license plates and would rename Port Columbus International Airport after Ohio astronaut and former U.S. Sen. John Glenn.
“I think that (the National Aviation Hall of Fame ) is fitting of being honored in the state of Ohio and I think we should value the fact that it’s located here and one way to celebrate is creating a license plate,” Antani said.
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