For decades, Albert Whitted Airport has been a vital economic engine for St. Petersburg, a hub for local pilots and emergency services, and even the hosting venue for several auto racing events.
To many, it’s a symbol of the city’s identity.
A new documentary called “Our City, Our Airport” captures the airport’s history and its significance to the history of aviation — telling its story through the lens of the community it serves.
It’s sponsored by the Friends of Albert Whitted Airport, and produced by filmmakers Andrew Lee and Laura Landry.
While filming the documentary, they said they learned how Albert Whitted is “interwoven” with the city and its community.
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“We realized that there’s this very deep connection between the airport and St. Petersburg,” Lee said. “Once you see the film, you'll realize how intertwined these two things are, not only through history, but also through the current-day use of the airport and what it brings to the city.”
The documentary features stories of airport workers, aviation enthusiasts and people around the community, exploring how the airport has impacted their lives and the meaning it has to them.
The airport itself is quite small, spanning only 110 acres and with only two runways.
But it has become a beloved icon for its historical significance and community impact.
“There's all these sorts of ancillary ways that the airport impacts the community just by being a transportation hub,” Landry said. “When people think about how transportation serves a community, some of these things get overlooked.”
Production began in 2023 after Friends of Albert Whitted Airport approached the producers with an idea for a short documentary.
However, as production progressed, its concept underwent drastic changes.
“The idea was to make a short documentary, around 30 minutes or so,” Lee said. “None of us really knew at that time that it would turn into a feature-length documentary.”
Lee said working on a project that meant so much to the community changed the way he sees the city.
“I’d never set foot inside the airport before,” he said. “This was all new to us, and we found ourselves surprised at how this airport is connected to St. Petersburg in so many ways.”
And while the documentary is just about the Albert Whitted Airport, Lee hopes it helps people better understand aviation in general.
“Our goal is to take them on an adventure through the fascinating history of aviation and why little airports like Albert Whitted are so vital to the communities that they serve, and also getting to know the dynamic and interesting people who are a part of all of this,” he said.
The premiere is scheduled for 7 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Palladium Theater in St. Pete College. This show is already sold out.
A second screening is 2 p.m. Oct. 29.
You can find tickets for the second function on the Friends of Albert Whitted Airport’s website.
