Albert Whitted Airport ( IATA : SPG , ICAO : KSPG , FAA LID : SPG ) is a public airport in St. Petersburg , Pinellas County , Florida , United States. It is on the west edge of Tampa Bay , just southeast of downtown St. Petersburg and east of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg .
32-463: SPG can refer to: Places [ edit ] Albert Whitted Airport (IATA: SPG), in St. Petersburg, Florida Springfield Union Station (Massachusetts) , Amtrak station code SPG Arts, entertainment, and media [ edit ] Music [ edit ] Slumber Party Girls , an all-girl American pop band SPG Records Steam Powered Giraffe ,
64-465: A Congressional earmark created in 2005 by Congressman C. W. Bill Young to build a new tower. A new state-of-the-art air traffic control tower was built and made operational in August 2012. The airport received FAA grants to rehabilitate both runways in 2016 and 2022. The runway project in 2022 changed the width of Runway 18-36 to 75 ft (23 m) to comply with current FAA standards. The project also reduce
96-400: A New Waterfront Park, collected signatures and placed a question on the 2003 city ballot that would have closed Albert Whitted and turned it into a city park. The City of St. Petersburg offered two ballot questions in support of the airport for the referendum: question #1 dealt with keeping Albert Whitted as an airport forever, and question #2 dealt with the acceptance of governmental grants for
128-480: A Singaporean insult Technology [ edit ] Self-propelled gun, one type of Self-propelled artillery Submersible pressure gauge in scuba diving Sync pulse generator, a type of video signal generator Other uses [ edit ] A Saab 900 car option Springvale railway station , Melbourne Steals , a basketball statistic Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
160-480: A flight near Pensacola aboard the Falcon when the propeller broke off. The city's airport, known until then as Cook-Springstead tracks, was renamed Albert Whitted Airport on 12 October 1928. National Airlines began service there in 1934; it moved to St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport by the end of World War II. Decades later, National merged with Pan American World Airways (PanAm) to create one of
192-639: A steampunk musical project Other arts, entertainment, and media [ edit ] Shortest proof game , a type of chess problem Special Patrol Group, a hamster in UK TV series The Young Ones Strong Parental Guidance (Rated SPG), Philippine Movie and Television Review and Classification Board rating The Super Parental Guardians , a Philippine film Healthcare [ edit ] Spastic gait gene, causing hereditary spastic paraplegia Organizations and enterprises [ edit ] Simon Property Group , US, NYSE symbol Society for
224-414: Is 3,677 by 75 feet (1,121 x 23 m) and 18/36 is 2,864 by 75 feet (873 x 23 m). In 2015, the airport reported 89,000 general aircraft operations (not counting night activities), average 244 per day: 92% general aviation , 4% air taxi , and 4% military. 185 aircraft were then based at the airport: 78% single-engine, 16% multi-engine, <1% jet and 6% helicopter . In its budget for the fiscal year 2012,
256-524: Is recognized as the birthplace of scheduled commercial airline flight. On January 1, 1914, a Benoist XIV flying boat from the company St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line piloted by Tony Jannus , took off from the central yacht basin of the downtown waterfront, on the first scheduled commercial aircraft flight in history. His passenger was A. C. Pheil, a former mayor of St. Petersburg. Albert Whitted Airport began construction in October 1928 and opened in
288-506: The IndyCar Series is held at the airport annually in the spring. It is also home to businesses such as St. Pete Air Flight School, Tampa Bay Aviation, Sheltair Aviation Services, The Hangar Restaurant and Flight Lounge, Tampa Bay Air Charter, It's Time to Shine, Advertising Air Force, and Hertz. The Civil Air Patrol has a headquarters on site. The Florida DOT named Albert Whitted Airport the 2009 Florida General Aviation Airport of
320-605: The St. Petersburg–Tampa Airboat Line purchased the Lark of Duluth and another Benoist XIV to inaugurate operations. The first scheduled flight between the two cities departed shortly before 10:00 a.m. on January 1, 1914 , piloted by Tony Jannus and carried former St Petersburg mayor Abram C. Pheil as its passenger for the 22-mile (35 km), 23-minute flight. Regular tickets were priced at $ 5.00 (equivalent to $ 152.09 in 2023), but Pheil had paid $ 400.00 ($ 12,000 in 2023) at auction for
352-663: The U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps . Hundreds of Naval Aviation cadets under the U.S. Navy 's V-5 pre-commissioning program received initial flight training in Stearman N2S and Waco biplanes. At the end of the war, Navy training ceased, civilian commercial and general aviation activity returned, and the Coast Guard remained the sole military aviation activity at the airport until its relocation in 1976. Albert Whitted Airport covers 110 acres (45 ha) at an elevation of 7 feet (2 m). It has two asphalt runways : 7/25
SECTION 10
#1732765553096384-488: The 2nd floor of the terminal in April 2010. In 2008 the city opened Albert Whitted Park, which is located on the north side of the airport. The park has observation areas overlooking the airport and an aviation-themed playground. The park is open to the general public, but can be reserved for special functions. A new $ 3 million control tower is operational. The new Taxiway D on the northside and parallel to Runway 7-25 funded by
416-599: The City of St. Petersburg lists the airport along with the municipal marina, golf courses and a few other enterprises as city operations that are self-supporting. The FY 2012 airport budget is $ 959,181. Fees are charged to users to pay the costs of operations. Based on the 2005 Airport Master Plan commissioned by the City of St. Petersburg, estimates of total economic impact to the city place direct purchase of goods and services at $ 33,152,000, payroll at $ 12,025,880, and employment at 362 people. The Grand Prix of St. Petersburg of
448-542: The FAA is operational. This taxiway connects the terminal building with Runways 18 and 25. In 2008, the City of St. Petersburg was given a $ 990,000 grant by the Obama Administration to build a new air traffic control tower because the City had it as a "shovel ready" project. The Obama Administration was looking for projects to bolster the economy during the 2008 economic banking crisis. Those funds were added to
480-543: The HU-16s had been replaced with four HH-3F helicopters. The Coast Guard's desire to add four large, land-based HC-130 Hercules aircraft at St. Petersburg in 1976 made continued Coast Guard operations at Albert Whitted Airport an impossibility because of its short runways, prompting a move to the larger St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport and construction and establishment of a new air station, Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater , replacing CGAS St. Petersburg. With
512-875: The Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts , Church of England, 1701-1964 Special Patrol Group (RUC) of the Royal Ulster Constabulary Special Patrol Group of the Metropolitan Police Special Protection Group , for the Prime Minister of India Starwood Preferred Guest, a defunct loyalty program State Protection Group , of New South Wales police Slang [ edit ] Sarong Party Girl ,
544-575: The Year. On March 25, 2011, a Mooney M20J , registered to Courtney Jones Aviation, crashed after veering left on the runway and ended up on the rock jetty off the runway. The pilot of the aircraft was not injured. A few days later on March 27, 2011, a T-28 Warbird that was performing for the opening of the Honda Grand Prix crashed into the water after the pilot reported mechanical difficulties and attempted to make an emergency landing. Both
576-592: The airport shortly after takeoff. On September 15, 2014, a Piper PA-28 from Tallahassee Regional Airport crashed in the Vinoy Park en route to Albert Whitted Airport. All four on board survived with two sustaining minor injuries and two sustaining critical injuries. Later reports from the NTSB confirmed the aircraft crashed as a result of "total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion" while approaching Albert Whitted Airport. A local group, Citizens for
608-498: The airport. Residents voted overwhelmingly to retain the historic airport. Since 2003, capital improvements have totaled over $ 11 million. In October 2007, the city completed construction on a $ 4 million-10,600 sq/ft terminal building. The terminal also has a 12,200 sq/yd aircraft parking ramp and a 64-space parking lot. The terminal houses Sheltair, the airport's Fixed-Base Operator (FBO) and other various aviation and retail tenants. The Hangar Restaurant and Flight Lounge opened on
640-464: The effective length of the runway to accommodate revised runway overrun requirements. Benoist XIV The Benoist XIV , also called The Lark of Duluth , was a small biplane flying boat built in the United States in 1913 in the hope of using it to carry paying passengers. The two examples built were used to provide the first heavier-than-air airline service anywhere in the world, and
672-406: The establishment of CGAS Clearwater, CGAS St. Petersburg was subsequently converted to a non-flying Coast Guard installation as home to several cutters and the current Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg headquarters. In addition to Coast Guard flight operations, during World War II, Albert Whitted Airport was converted to military use as a primary flight training base for student Naval Aviators for
SECTION 20
#1732765553096704-424: The first airline service of any kind at all in the United States. The first fixed-wing scheduled airline was started on January 1, 1914. The flight was piloted by Tony Jannus and flew from St. Petersburg, Florida , to Tampa, Florida , operated by the St. Petersburg–Tampa Airboat Line . The aircraft was a conventional biplane with equal-span unstaggered wings with small pontoons at their tips. The engine
736-463: The last years of the war and stayed to be the backbone of the postwar search and rescue missions. By the mid-1950s, helicopters also became part of the CGAS St. Petersburg inventory. CGAS St. Petersburg also flew the large P5M Marlin , the last seaplane the U.S. Coast Guard procured in tandem with the U.S. Navy . The P5Ms were replaced beginning in 1951 by the amphibious HU-16 Albatross . By 1976,
768-415: The people of St. Petersburg to flying. Whitted would take people up in the "Bluebird", a plane he designed and built. He never charged for the flights. His aerial maneuvers always left spectators in awe. He also designed and built the Falcon. The Falcon and Bluebird were used in a commercial flying business he had with his brother, Clarence. On August 19, 1923, Whitted and four passengers were killed during
800-482: The pilot and the passenger sustained minor injuries. On March 23, 2014, a Cessna L19 owned by the Advertising Air Force ditched into the water south east of the airport after the pilot reported engine failure. The pilot of the aircraft survived the accident without injury. On August 31, 2014, the pilot of a Piper PA-23 , owned by Aerial Banners Incorporated, died after crashing 75 yards south of
832-791: The southeast corner of Albert Whitted Airport. During the first years of World War II, aircraft at CGAS St. Petersburg were part of a valiant but inadequate deterrent to the German submarine campaign in the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico. As the submarine threat in the Gulf slowly abated, the air station concentrated on search and rescue activities. After the war, commercial marine and aircraft traffic continued to increase and pleasure boating operation increased exponentially. Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina and Martin PBM Mariner aircraft came aboard during
864-460: The summer of 1929. The airport is named for Lieutenant James Albert Whitted , USNR , a St. Petersburg native. He was one of the U.S. Navy 's first 250 Naval Aviators , commissioned at age 24 just as the United States entered World War I in 1917. He served as chief instructor of advanced flying at NAS Pensacola , Florida and was later assigned to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay , Cuba. Leaving active duty, he returned home in 1919 and introduced
896-429: The ticket for the first crossing. Over the next three months of the airline's short lifetime, the Lark of Duluth and her near-sister Florida (construction number 45) carried 1,205 passengers over Tampa Bay . At the end of March, however, the city subsidy ran out, and it proved no longer profitable to continue the service. The Lark of Duluth spent the remainder of 1914 carrying joyriders in several locations around
928-462: The title SPG . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=SPG&oldid=1245613886 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Albert Whitted Airport St. Petersburg
960-553: The world's largest air carriers. In 1929, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company , at the request of St. Petersburg, agreed to base one of its famous airships (i.e., blimps ) at Albert Whitted Airport. Albert Whitted Airport was one of the first airports to base their blimps. In 1934-1935 the Public Works Administration (PWA) built what would become Coast Guard Air Station (CGAS) St. Petersburg in
992-461: Was mounted on a pedestal aft of the cockpit and drove a two-blade pusher propeller . Accommodation for the pilot and single passenger was side by side in an open cockpit. The first example, given Benoist construction number 43 and named Lark of Duluth , carried joyriders over the harbour at Duluth, Minnesota through the Summer of 1913, but the endeavor was not a commercial success. The aircraft
SPG - Misplaced Pages Continue
1024-603: Was wrecked once by Hugh Roberts, designer of the engine that powered the aircraft prior to competing in the Great Lakes Reliability Tour. The repairs and paint job left the aircraft with the partial name, "of Du". Later that year, Percival Fansler , a business associate of designer Thomas W. Benoist , convinced Benoist to join him in establishing a scheduled air service between the Florida cities of St Petersburg and Tampa . Their newly formed company,
#95904