Art at the airport
Colorful murals depicting the history of flight in Florida now adorn two hangars at Albert Whitted Airport in St. Petersburg.
Born out of a collaboration between the St. Petersburg Art Alliance and the Friends of Albert Whitted Airport, as well as the desire to educate the St. Petersburg public on the value the airport brings to the community, the aviation-themed murals greet visitors and passersby by land and air.
The two murals are the latest addition to a robust mural scene that is scattered throughout the city. With approximately 600 murals, and more than a dozen added every year through the annual mural festival, SHINE, St. Petersburg has established itself as a public art lover’s paradise.
Through showcasing the work of creative locals, airport supporters hope to integrate the airport into the community. While it has faced its fair share of closure threats over the years—a movement AOPA’s advocacy team helped stave off alongside a grassroots effort from local pilots—it remains a beacon of opportunity.
“St. Petersburg is a better place because of Albert Whitted Airport,” said Walt Driggers from the Friends of Albert Whitted Airport. “And so, our mission is to connect St. Petersburg community with the past, present, and future of Albert Whitted.”
Albert Whitted Airport is minutes from downtown St. Petersburg and sits on the water of the Tampa Bay. It handles 100,000 flights annually, plays a vital role in medical transportation, acts as a lifeline during and after natural disasters such as hurricanes, and is an open door to the community for exploration of aviation.
The work that the Friends of Albert Whitted Airport organization does aims to ensure the community understands, appreciates, and supports these valuable benefits.
Aside from murals, the community is doing its part to help bolster the future pilot pipeline. The group kicked off a scholarship program last year and was able to award $75,000 in flight training scholarships to 19 locals. In February, the second scholarship batch amounted to $166,000 for 30 aspiring pilots.
Thanks to positive feedback from the community, the organization is also working with the city to request more murals at the airport that feature an aviation theme.
