Mesa's first CEO and founder, Larry Risley.

Farmington airport aerial view. Farmington was the original home for Mesa Airlines.

Farmington airport terminal building (and control tower) where Mesa had their corporate offices.

Early timetable for Mesa Air Shuttle.

Information on Mesa Saratoga flights to Albuquerque.

Farmington maintenance hangar. The smaller hangar on the left was the original hangar owned by Mesa predecessor J.B. Aviation.

Larry and Janie Risley in front of Mesa’s first C-99 airliner.

Early C-99 originally from Sun West Airlines.

March 1987 New Mexico Business Journal featuring Larry Risley.

Leather coaster advertising Mesa Airlines.

Early plastic versions of Mesa Airlines boarding passes.

Handheld weight and balance calculator used in Mesa’s C-99s.

Mark Sharp and Keith Husband hamming it up. Photo: Keith Husband

Mesa’s first BE-1900. Later reregistered N55YV.

Telluride Airport aerial view looking east toward the town of Telluride.

Mesa Beechcraft 1900C.

Mesa’s first Cessna Caravan, later reregistered N105YV.

Pilot Jay Wilde helping passenger with bags from the Caravan.

N105YV – Mesa’s first Caravan parked in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Farmington Hangar with Caravan and BE1900.

Early timetable for Centennial Airlines.

Centennial Airlines C-99, old Sun West Airlines airplane. Photo: R.A. Scholefield

Chief Pilot Larry Donald Oswald (1949-1989). Larry died in a crash of Beechcraft CATPASS 200 (N39YV) on a ferry flight from Santa Monica, California to Farmington.

N39YV - CATPASS 200 while on lease to Air LA. Photo was taken only a few months prior to it crashing with the chief pilot, Larry Oswald, at the controls. Photo: Kurt Kolb

Captain Brian Baumunk sitting on the airstairs of a CATPASS 200 (N63JR.)