Albert Whitted

Wow! I drove across the Skyway Bridge and took a discovery flight out of Albert Whitted airport (SPG) today. What a cool place. The airport is just south of downtown St. Petersburg on Tampa Bay. It is a big change from little Airport Manatee, and only a 30 minute drive from my work.


Bay Air Flying Service operates an flying club there. When I arrived CFI Rob was waiting on me and we were promptly on the flight line pre-flighting a Cessna 172 G1000. That's right, one of the new jobs with all the fancy electronics and flat panel displays. Rob went over the pre-flight with me, we climbed into the plane, did some more pre-flight and then I started the engine. Rob had me do the engine run-ups. Everything was good and we were ready to go.


Rob called Whitted tower and got takeoff clearance. Then he had me taxi onto runway 7, which is conveniently right next to parking at Bay Air. He had me steer down the runway and add power to the engine, and guess what. I took off!

We turned south over Tampa Bay and eventually southwest toward the Skyway. We flew over Fort Desoto Park, which is an old Spanish-American War fort that has become a popular and beautiful destination in the St. Pete area. Anyhow, we ended up over St. Pete Beach where I got to practice turning the plane left and right, climbing, descending and avoiding clouds. The weather was a little bumpy today with a lot of small puffy clouds that we were not supposed to fly through or near, oops.

After an half hour or so, I pointed the plane east and Rob radioed for landing clearance. There was another Cessna in the pattern ahead of us, but the haze was thick enough that we never saw him. I kept the plane lined up on the runway and reduced power when Rob directed. He worked the flaps at first and then had me work them. He came this close (if you could see my fingers they would be about a half inch apart) to having me land the plane! Needless to say, I had a blast. It took all my will power not to sign up for lessons on the spot!

I've got a lot to think about, and am going to have a tough decision to make in the near future. There were many things I liked about Albert Whitted. The nice paved runways sure were a lot easier to taxi on. It is a controlled airport but not busy. Bay Air has a lot of planes and instructors available and has the look of a professional operation, but with a casual feel. I think if I wanted to rent a plane after I had my license, I would probably come back to Bay Air. Their prices are certainly competitive. The only downside, mostly psychological on my part, is that I would be learning from someone who is my son's age. I can get over that.

I'm not going to get much else done this week. Next week I have my medical exam and have an appointment at Sarasota International (SRQ).