Congressman Sam Graves grew up in a house within sight of the Tarkio, Mo., airport. He turned that proximity into an adult passion for flying.

This interest landed the Republican lawmaker a seat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's aviation panel. And it also got him some notice Tuesday in a congressional-centered publication called The Hill.

The 1,100-word article explains Mr. Graves' childhood introduction to flying, his weakness for vintage aircraft and his pastime of building planes from junk parts.

He professes a view that airplanes are a marvel of mechanical engineering. "In fact, I see them as art ...," he said.

Click here to see the article on The Hill's Web site.