The Kansas Aviation Museum has a rich story to tell. It has a devoted group of hardworking volunteers. It has a historic, beautiful building.

What it doesn't have is enough community support.

Why is that? How come the museum has never really gotten off the ground in the Air Capital of the World?

Wichita City Council members need to ask some of these tough questions before approving a funding request from the museum.

Museum officials this week asked the City Council for $500,000 to continue renovation of the nearly 50,000-square-foot, 1930s-era Art Deco terminal, the former municipal airport for Wichita. The money would provide electrical system upgrades, a heating and air-conditioning system, and an elevator to address accessibility.

There are reasonable arguments for city support. Museum director Lon Smith argues that the council has an obligation to help maintain a city-owned building. And he noted that the museum can't properly display its exhibits or lease space for events without climate control.

But the City Council, facing tough budget times and a public weary of funding struggling attractions, is right to be wary of the request.

The Kansas Aviation Museum faces several challenges:

The interior remains a rough work in progress. Granted, the building was a wreck when the museum got it back in 1991, full of pigeon droppings and rubble. But it still has a long way to go -- and it will take major funding to bring it up to museum standards.

The same can be said of the exhibits, a hodgepodge of aviation-related items that need to be better prioritized and organized into an engaging narrative of Kansas' aviation past.

Moreover, the museum has always struggled to attract visitors and major financial support. Smith said that the museum is planning to launch a $10 million to $15 million capital improvement campaign next year to build a hangar to house "Doc," the B-29 bomber, and other vintage airplanes now on display outside. But the museum's previous fundraising efforts have often fallen short.

A lingering question: Why don't Wichita's large aircraft manufacturing companies step up and support the museum? If they don't care enough about their history to preserve it, why should the public care?

Smith said the museum has had some encouraging talks of late with private donors. "I feel very, very confident that we're going to be able to turn a new page," he told The Eagle editorial board.

Maybe that's true, but city leaders should proceed with caution. Perhaps the City Council could explore a matching funds challenge, with the $500,000 dependent on the museum's success in raising private funds.

To its credit, the museum hasn't asked for much public money over the years. Supporters have raised $1.5 million in private funds to complete the exterior building renovation.

Wichita needs the Kansas Aviation Museum. There is a great story here to tell. But in this turbulent budget atmosphere, council members should expect any museum asking for support to provide a solid flight plan.