Southwestern Swing: The Aero Experience Visits Albuquerque, NM

By Fred Harl

The Aero Experience occasionally wanders outside of the Midwest to visit interesting places, and on a recent trip to Albuquerque, NM we landed at the Anderson-Abruzzo International Balloon Museum. The museum is made possible through a partnership of the museum's foundation and the City of Albuquerque. It opened in 2005, and is named for Albuquerque aeronauts Maxie Anderson and Ben Abruzzo. The museum covers ballooning history from the first recorded balloon flight in 1783 to the present with displays of scaled and actual ballooning equipment and through interactive presentations and events. It is also located on the grounds of Balloon Fiesta Park, where over 600 balloons gather every October.