Right in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg, Albert Whitted Airport is known as the birthplace of commercial aviation. When you get to know its rich past you see that it’s so much more than a place for planes to land and take off: it’s a piece of history.

From local history buffs to flight instructors who have been helping hundreds of students to get their wings, AWA’s supporters are keen to share their love of this almost 100-year-old airport.

Here are 7 gems that shine in Albert Whitted Airport’s glittering history:

  • The airport was named after a hometown Navy aviator

Lieutenant James Albert Whitted was one of the U.S. Navy’s first 250 Naval Aviators and he was commissioned at age 24 just as the United States entered World War I in 1917. When he returned home after leaving active duty in 1919, he introduced the people of St. Pete to flying. Whitted flew the “Bluebird”, a plane he designed and built. He was killed while flying in 1923.

The City Council authorized the construction of a flying field in October 1928, and it was named in honor of hometown Navy aviator Lieutenant James Albert Whitted. 

  • AWA is the home of the 1st regularly scheduled flight ever

The reason that Albert Whitted Airport is known as the birthplace of aviation is that the very first commercial flight in America flew from here, way back on January 1, 1914. A small airboat took flight close to the airport, making history. 

  • Happy birthday, Albert Whitted Airport!

Local aviators used the Albert Whitted Airport site as an airport in 1917 with the runway constructed from crushed shell. Official construction began on Albert Whitted Airport by the City in 1928 and it opened to the public in 1929. This year, Albert Whitted Airport is celebrating its official 95th anniversary, even though it has been used for take-offs and landings eleven years longer. 

  • You could fly for a “Penny-a-Pound”

In the 1970’s you could view St Pete from the air or experience your first flight. The price of the flight was calculated as one cent for every pound the passenger weighed, so passengers were weighed before a flight. 

  • Supporting the war effort in World War 2

Albert Whitted was converted during World War 2 from a public airfield to a military air base. It was where hundreds of Naval cadets received training for the US Navy and US Marine Corp. After the war, Navy training stopped, civilian commercial and general aviation activity returned, and the Coast Guard remained the sole military aviation activity at the airport until it relocated in 1976.

  • National Airlines started flying here in 1934

One of the nation’s first airlines is National Airlines, and it began service out of Albert Whitted Airport in 1934. They later merged with Pan-Am to create one of the world’s largest air carriers. The original sign facing 8th Ave S on hangar #2 for National Airlines was found and has been restored at its original location. This hangar was placed on the St. Petersburg Register of Historic Places in December of 2006.

  • It was a Blimp Base

In the late 1920s, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio chose Albert Whitted Airport as one of the first airports to base its famous blimps. In 1929 a municipal blimp hangar was completed, and the “Goodyear” blimp flew into St. Pete in December 1929. The stock market crash and bank failures of the depression meant that the blimp activity was short-lived. Today, the only blimp activity is an occasional touch-and-go by modern blimps arriving at St. Pete for special events.  

Preserving the past

There’s so much history attached to Albert Whitted Airport, and we think it’s worth preserving. 

The Albert Whitted Airport Preservation Society was established to preserve and enhance Albert Whitted Airport, which is one of our nation’s most historic aviation facilities. The society works with fellow citizens and businesses to keep the birthplace of aviation a vibrant part of our city.

With such an exciting past, let’s hope that the future shines just as bright. The society’s vision is to make Albert Whitted Airport the finest general aviation airport in the US, incorporating public recreation areas, aviation education, airport businesses, and an aviation museum to showcase its proud aviation history. 

We’ve got LOVE4AWA and now that you know more about Albert Whitted Airport, we know that you will, too.