The history of flying in New Mexico started on July 14, 1882. On that date, a local saloonkeeper in Albuquerque launched the first gas-filled balloon, while hundreds of onlookers cheered.

Periodic balloon ascensions, thereafter, remained popular, particularly during the annual territorial fair. After the Wright brothers' first controlled airplane flight in 1903, however, it became clear that the new flying machines were destined to replace balloons in the public's affection.

What opened the aviation age in the Southwest was the Los Angeles Airshow that occurred in January 1910. The enthusiastic support it received led other cities to copy its success.

Places like Phoenix, Tucson, Albuquerque and Santa Fe hired newly famous aviators to perform for their citizenry. San Diego pilot Charles F. Walsh was brought to Albuquerque in 1911 to entertain fairgoers.

He arrived by rain with his Curtiss biplane in pieces on a flatcar and assembled the craft on the fairgrounds. With a packed crowd in the grandstands, he made three flights using the baseball diamond to take off and land.

The Albuquerque Journal reported gleefully that Walsh was the first to fly an airplane above the Rio Grande Valley. But the paper also took note of the ominous implications of flying, since it opened the possibility of using the biplane in war to drop bombs on an army or ships.

Finishing his Albuquerque run, Charles Walsh dismantled his craft and went to Raton by train to give another exhibition at the Colfax County Fair.

He was invited to return in 1912 for New Mexico's first state fair, but he crashed and died in New Jersey during a show.

Another of these "barnstormers," as the pilots who did dangerous stunts were called, was Roy W. Francis. He was featured at the New Mexico State Fair in 1912 and again in 1913.

He flew a tractor biplane with two props that were chain-driven. It could carry the pilot and a passenger behind the motor and between the lower wing and the overhead wing (hence, the name biplane).

Aviation historian Don E. Alberts claims that it was the largest flying machine yet seen in New Mexico. Passenger Roy Stamm from on high took the first aerial photographs of Albuquerque.

Another chapter in the early story of flying unfolded at the small town of Columbus down near the Mexican border.

The revolutionary bandit Francisco "Pancho" Villa attacked that community on March 9, 1916, killing 18 Americans before withdrawing into Mexico.

Gen. John "Blackjack" Pershing arrived at Columbus with an army and orders to chase down Villa. He was joined by eight Curtiss-Jenny airplanes of the First Aero Squadron from San Antonio, Texas.

During the campaign in Mexico, they would fly 540 reconnaissance missions. This episode marked the first time American aircraft were used in warfare.

The coming of World War I brought to the fore a nascent aeronautical industry. Technological advances pushed it forward in the 1920s to meet rising demands for passenger, freight and airmail service.

Albuquerque emerged as the state's air transportation center after the founding of the Albuquerque Airport in 1928. Later, it would become a hub for U.S. military aviation facilities.

Santa Fe had a dirt airstrip by 1911, but by 1920 it was upgraded sufficiently to host large Army De Havilland bombers performing aerial maneuvers at a show.

Communities around the state, not wanting to be left out, began construction of simple landing fields. The airplane boosted local economies, helped reduce isolation and attracted tourists.

New Mexicans whole-heartedly embraced aviation and never looked back.

Historian Marc Simmons is author of numerous books on New Mexico and the Southwest. His column appears Saturdays.