Had they survived there would never have been an Endevour. They should have skipped New York and given one to Wright-Pat. Without Air Force funding and DoD missions the thing would have never been built.
True enough. And while I'm no apologist for NYC (or defender of this particular decision), one has to acknowledge that more folks will probably see it in NYC than would at Wright-Patterson. Also, the Intrepid did play an integral role in the Mercury and Gemini missions upon which the subsequent space program was built. I think the decision is a little more palatable when one thinks of it being awarded specifically to the Intrepid Museum, and not generally to NYC.