Explore New York, a series highlighting the great history, food and places of the state, often showcases a place just a car ride away. But, this story from reporter Barry Wygel brings you to the place where pilots and airplane passengers have been cleared for take-off longer than anywhere else in the country.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- The year -- 1910, the place -- Albany, New York. A boom in aviation is on the horizon and history is about to be made. A $10,000 prize is offered to break the record of longest manned flight and fly the 150 miles from Albany to New York City. New York native Glen Curtiss thinks he is up to the challenge.

"He left Albany at 7:02, arrived in Poughkeepsie at 8:26, spent about an hour there and resumed his flight," says Tony Opalka, an Albany historian. "Curtiss refilled his plane [in northern Manhattan] and made it all the way to Governor's Island, before which he actually circled the Statue of Liberty."

The field where Curtiss took off in Albany become home to the country's first municipal airport.

"Every famous aviator landed at Quentin Roosevelt Memorial Field over the years. Charles Lindbergh was there in 1927," Opalka says.

Fresh off his historic flight from New York to Paris, 10,000 people lined the runway to see the Spirit of Saint Louis land in the Capital City, but the city quickly outgrew its small grass airstrip and a change needed to be made. Looking for a blank canvas to build upon, Albany cut a deal with the Shakers for 250 acres of land to build a truly modern airport.

"When they were constructing the airport, that was seen as progress, and they were very much enthusiastic about it," says Starlyn D'Angelo, the executive director of Shaker Heritage Site.'

The Shakers helped flatten the land, fed the construction crews and were among the first to ride in planes taking off and landing from the field. Throughout the 20th century, the airport's rich history was largely forgotten as the airport looked to compete in an increasingly global market. But when the airport broke ground on a major expansion at the turn of the 21st century, it was designed with its history in mind.

"So what we did was we incorporated both the Shakers with their wood and furniture, and the brick layers into an airport that had a lot to do with the history of this region," says Doug Myers, a spokesperson for the Albany International Airport.

It is with an eye looking at its history that the Albany airport continues its journey into the future. And although the millions of people who pass through the gates most likely have no idea they are in the nation's oldest municipal airport, its a history that won't be forgotten.

*Images courtesy of the Albany Times Union c/o The Albany Institute of History and Art, The Knickerbocker News c/o The Albany Institute of History and Art, The Albany Public Library, Albany County Airport Authority, Albany Group Archive, and Arcadia Publishing.