Tampa Bay area (Tampa St Petersburg Clearwater)

I’ve been flying around Tampa Bay for years, and apart from a couple of trips to e.g. the islands this has mostly been local sightseeing. There’s seven public access airports in the bay area, and a few more private runways and other airfields a bit farther away.

A distant relative (great-great-step-great-grandfather?) was possibly the first settler in the county, when the government was giving away land: at the time it was jungle swamps full of mosquitoes and Seminoles (Indians, not PA44s). Pinellas County has a good number of public parks, many of which are also nature reserves, so you can still see what it was like.

The local beach

Real Florida

Lake Tarpon

Baby gator in Lake Tarpon

Wall springs

The world’s first scheduled commercial flight was from St Petersburg to Tampa in 1914, and the Gandy Bridge follows the same route; the other two to the north are Howard Frankland Bridge and Courtney Campbell Causeway; all are good for navigating.

The barrier island along the coast are stunning, both at sea level and flying, and of course the unmistakeable Florida sunsets.

Anclote Key State Park Preserve, one of the barrier islands, only accessible by boat

Not actually a sunset, but close

KCLW Clearwater Airpark
I’ve been renting Cessnas at KCLW for years and both the school and FBO are friendly and laid back. The local area is noise sensitive, so full stop landings only, and no movements from 2300-0700. There’s AWOS, PCL and fuel by truck – in general a happy successful GA airport. The class B 1200’ shelf is over US19, a good reference. I sometimes struggle to find the field, but the secret is to follow the coast and turn left/right at the Clearwater bridge. There’s nothing in walking distance, but they have a crew car and Clearwater Beach and Clearwater Marine Aquarium is a 20 minute drive. In Spring Break it’s probably an hour’s drive. The next city north is Dunedin, which actually has a high street, and Honeymoon Island is lovely. A bit farther up Alternate 19 is Tarpon Springs, originally a spongediving town and very Greek. The Dodecanese boulevard is worth a visit, with Greek restaurants and tourist shops, but the locals don’t eat there

CLW

Flight line at CLW, C172 G1000

Short final 34 at night

Clearwater Beach in winter

The intracoastal waterway at Clearwater, with the Tampa skyline in the background

Dunedin dog mural

Map of Dunedin from local artist Bill Renc – we have a few of his pictures (photo from google)

Tarpon Springs spongediving mural

KPIE St Pete Clearwater International
Because no touch and goes permitted at CLW, all the pattern work is done at PIE. It’s used for controller training (I was once told “extend downwind, I’ll call your base” and he forgot about me ) and there’s several schools based there too. It can get pretty busy with training flights, commercial traffic, UPS freight, a big coastguard station, military flights. Runway niner has since been closed, but it was cool doing Land and Hold Short surrounded by all this. Instead of the terminal or FBOs (Sheltair & Signature) I parked at CAMS, which used to be a school but now only does maintenance, and been for lunch a few times at the Country Skillet, a diner a mile away; there’s hire cars in the terminal. If visiting St Pete, Whitted is better.

Downwind 36 at PIE, old photo before 9/27 was closed

At night, the grid system is obvious

KSPG Albert Whitted
Really close to Downtown St Pete, a cultural city with loads of museums, art galleries, concert halls etc in walking distance; the internationally acclaimed Salvador Dali museum is basically on the airport. ‘The Hangar’ restaurant is very good, even listed in national pilot guides. Built out into the sea it’s good for practising carrier landings.

Whitted aircraft carrier from google earth

Whitted tower

Christmas lights in south Pinellas point – some of the houses are crazy

48X Manatee
A grass-roots airfield with some interesting vintage aircraft but not much going on. From the highly developed Pinellas peninsula it suddenly gets very agricultural with open fields the other side of the water. Very close is the Sunshine Skyway, a big bridge carrying I-275, which was struck by a boat in the 1980s and subsequently re-routed. Driving over it is pretty impressive too.

Sunshine Skyway

The old part of the bridge is now a massive fishing pier

Driving over (photo from google)

KTPA Tampa International
There’s a lot of Bravo around the airport, but for local flights it’s easy to stay underneath with flight following for local flights, and the controllers are accommodating if you want to climb to go anywhere. To the actual airport I’ve been 80+ times commercially, but never GA. Large airports aren’t really my thing, but Tampa is spacious with carpets and lots of seating – Gatwick afterwards is a shock in comparison. There’s a revolving rooftop restaurant (expensive but good) and a Marriott hotel in the terminal with rooftop pool and gardens (stayed twice when delayed).

TPA from the hotel pool

Hidden Lake FA40
Only been once. It’s a private airpark, so PPR, and not much to do apart from look at the houses and planes (and dream). I’ve actually driven past it a couple of times without realising what it was.

KTPF Peter O’Knight
Never been, but other people here report it as good for international hire (e.g. Bahamas and Caribbean). Just north is Ybor City, the Cuban quarter and cigar central, where all the cool kids go at night.

KVDF Tampa Executive
Never been, but close to child friendly Lowry Park Zoo, Busch Gardens, and MOSI (the Museum of Science and Industry).

KCGC Crystal River (Captain Tom Davis Field)
Half an hour north at 110kt but a nice town. I’ve been twice, one by air and once by car; it’s my nearest DPE. There’s a Dairy Queen at the airfield gate which placates passengers. I can’t find it, but there was an AOPA article years ago where you could fly in then swim with Manatees in the crystal clear waters of Three Sisters Springs.

KCDK George T Lewis (Cedar Key)
45 minutes north, but definitely worth a visit. The runway is the shortest in Florida and the same length as the island, so be careful The local taxi monitors the radio, but in my case only called when we were departing :( but the walk into town isn’t bad. There’s quite a few golf buggies around, which can be hired from a couple of companies.

Downwind Cedar Key

Tampa Bay from the sectional

Photos are mix of ipad, old android phone, and 35mm SLR scans