Flight Time–St. Petersburg

While preparing for my most recent flight review, I planned a flight to Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petersburg. During that flight, we had radio problems and diverted to another airport. Today, I planned this flight again.

Susan and I departed Valkaria Airport at 3:20 PM and turned to the west. I contacted Orlando Approach and asked for flight following while climbing to 6,500 feet. While we were climbing, Approach contacted me and mentioned that I was turning southwest and that the restricted airspace was active. I responded that I was just maneuvering to get above the clouds and that I would remain clear of the restricted airspace.

The Tampa Class B airspace begins about 5 miles west of Lakeland, so I planned to start my descent at Lakeland. About that time, Approach told me to descend to 4,500 feet. Soon after, Approach told me to descend to 3,500 feet. Next, I was told to turn to a heading of 200 degrees. Both of these descents and the turn kept me clear of the Class B airspace. My next instruction was to descend to 2,000 feet and fly direct to Alfred Whitted Airport. This instruction would require me to enter the Class B airspace, so I asked Approach to verify that I was cleared to enter Class B airspace and was specifically granted permission.

As we crossed Tampa Bay, we were handed off to Whitted Tower. We were told to enter the downwind for Runway 7, following a Cessna on downwind. I complied and we landed at 4:20 PM. Tower asked my intentions, and I told him I wanted to taxi to the FBO. He gave me the taxi route, and I complied. We were met by a marshaller, who parked us near the FBO.

The Cherokee on the ramp near the FBO

Inside, I paid my $10 ramp fee, then started exploring the place. The Hangar restaurant is on the second floor and has a great view of the airport. Although we were tempted, we are on a tight budget and grabbed a to-go menu just in case we changed our minds later.

Inside the FBO

Outside, we took some pictures, then walked a few hundred feet to the trolley stop. St. Petersburg has a free trolley service that runs around downtown with a bus arriving every 15 to 20 minutes. We caught the next trolley and rode it a few stops to the pier stop.

Outside the FBO

David at the airport entrance

I've never seen a pier quite like this. It was very long. It actually has its own shuttle bus system to move people to the end and back. It has a parking lot, an aquarium, a community marketplace, a very nice playground, a memorial to the first commercial seaplane operation, and a fancy building that has a deli and a nice restaurant inside. And the best part - it is free!

Monument to the first commercial seaplane flight

We walked along the pier primarily to see the fancy building. The marketplace had little tents set up with vendors selling what appeared to be mostly African items. When we reached the end of the pier, we walked up the steps to the restaurant on top. The views in all directions were superb.

Cool structure on the end of the pier

On our walk back to the trolley stop, we checked out the very nice playground, then ate some snacks in the shade nearby. When we reached the trolley stop, a trolley approached but then turned the wrong way and parked. I didn't want to wait, so we walked north along the route. We came to another park near the bay, so we walked through it. We could see more tents setup nearby. Turns out, they were preparing for a triathlon. To our surprise, we saw a large group of people swimming in the bay. I guess they were preparing for the upcoming event. We continued north a bit further, then went west a block or two, then headed back towards the airport. Along the way we passed by many restaurants with sidewalk seating. I was almost tempted to grab a slice of someone's delicious looking margarita pizza. The smell of fresh-baked waffles coming from an ice cream shop just about knocked me off my feet.

We eventually arrived back at the FBO. We considered getting an appetizer at The Hangar but decided against it. Meanwhile, there appeared to be a photoshoot happening out on the ramp. The Mooney "Anomaly" was parked near the door, and a female model wearing a tight gold dress was standing near it. I was thinking to myself that I'd seen that plane before, probably at Sun 'n Fun 2024. Meanwhile, the model starts pulling black and yellow fabric from a case. She pulls it over her head and the next thing you know, she's dressed like a bumblebee! A few minutes later, she came inside the FBO, and I told her that she seems to lead a very fun life.

After finishing my flight planning, we walked out onto the ramp. I saw the Mooney pilot and asked about the plane. Yes indeed, the plane was at Sun 'n Fun in 2024, but it was also the cover plane for the 2025 Sun 'n Fun poster. Pretty cool.

Sun 'n Fun 2025 poster with the Mooney "Anomaly"

I did a pre-flight, then we were ready to go. I pulled out my headlamp and spare flashlight, knowing that we'd be flying in the dark shortly. I listened to the ATIS and was told that Runway 36 was active. I called Ground and was given taxi instructions to the far corner of the airport. We took off at 7:40 PM. I tuned Tampa Approach and was given a heading and told to stay below the Class B airspace. To comply, I flew across the bay at 800 feet. We were told about converging helicopter traffic from the south and my mind instantly jumped to the crash in Washington D.C. The flight proceeded without incident, and we landed in Valkaria at 9:00 PM.

To summarize the trip, St. Pete is a fantastic, walkable destination. Being night current was a bonus, allowing us to stay later than we would have otherwise.

The flight tracks are shown below

Valkaria to St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg to Valkaria

Flight Time: 3.0 hours
Total Time: 719 hours