Lockheed Electra L-12 Junior: Hilary Swank's ride in the film "Amelia"

Over the next three days Tampa plays host to the first-ever Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Aviation Summit. They estimate that as many as 10,000 aviators will be here in the city and headquartered at the Tampa Convention Center. The exhibit halls will feature aviation products, seminars, updates and general information related to the industry, and the popular and growing flying community. The AOPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to general aviation. It was begun in 1939 and has grown to almost 350,000 members.

One of my favorite places to shoot in Tampa is what is known as the Seaplane Basin. The basin area, which includes the Davis Islands Yacht Club at the very end of Davis Islands, was designed initially for seaplanes. It sits at the very tip of the islands. Part of the dream and 1920's development by David Paul Davis of Davis Islands - that began as nothing more than sand spits off of Bayshore Boulevard and Tampa's downtown business district which he dredged up into today's islands neighborhood. Peter O. Knight Airport, Tampa first airport, was built in the 1930s by workers of the Works Progress Administration. It was named for Knight, an attorney and prominent Tampa businessman. After World War II, Tampa's main commercial airport was relocated from Davis Island to the area of Drew Field, a U.S. Army Air Corps base during the war. Peter O. Knight Airport's runways were too short for larger passenger planes following the war and could not be lengthened to accommodate the newer and larger aircraft. The airport is now used by many private aircraft owners, and an assortment of news helicopters. Peter O. Knight is the host airport for the Aviation Summit and has a display of roughly 100 airplanes and even some helicopters. I saw everything today from balloons to jets, sport and vintage aircraft, and a U. S. Coast helicopter. They even have radio-controlled planes. The day’s weather was perfect. Perfect, and it was fun to watch the take-off and landings of everything from vintage biplanes to small personal jets. (Tampa newest fireboat, which I posted on September 29, HERE, was even docked in the basin for tours.)

This plane is the star of the show. The Lockheed L-12 Electra Junior is an eight-seat, six passenger all-metal transport originally designed in the 1930s for smaller airlines and private owners. It’s a scaled-down version of the Lockheed 10 Electra, the plane actually flown by Amelia Earhart on her last flight before disappearing somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. The L-12 Junior, made its initial flight on June 27, 1936. (You should know this plane: an identical L-12 starred with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in the 1942 film Casablanca.) A total of only 130 Electra Juniors were built. It features two Pratt & Whitney R-985-48 radial engines, each with 450 horsepower. Its maximum speed is 225 mph, and has a range of 800 miles (1,287 km). It flew at just under 23,000 foot.

Hilary Swank is known to movie-goers for her Oscar winning performances in “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Million Dollar Baby.” In her new film biography, “Amelia,” Swank plays Amelia Earhart, the accomplished pilot, aviatrix (I love that word…sexy!), who vanished in 1937 while attempting to fly around the world. Swank spent quite a bit of time with this very plane and even signed the cabin door (see insert left). If you want to read more and about Swank and this very plane, click HERE. In a word, the plane is spectacular! (And I bet the movie is pretty good.)

Ascend the staircase to Florida blue skys: The Palace of Florence rules proudly on Tampa's Davis Islands

I admit that I have been drawn to this building for many years, long before its complete restoration in 2003. The old world look and intriguing towers reminded me of castles I liked to play with as a kid. What boy can resist castles and knights in shining armor (or young damsels?) The Palazzo Firenze (Palace of Florence) was part of David P. Davis' original plan for his ambitious, and mostly realized 1920s dream for the development of the two small islands in Tampa's Hillsborough Bay. Located at 45 Davis Boulevard, it was designed by Athos Menebun. It is understood that its design was taken from the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. Looking now at photographs of the palazzo in Florence, it does share many of the elements of the tower and fortress-like design. Built in 1293, the Palazzo Vecchio became the seat of town's government and the home of the Medici family. It has been the seat of the municipal authority in Florence since 1872. It is a gorgeous part of the town's skyline today and a mighty big target when you're designing an apartment building on a near empty, sandy spit of land in the Hillsborough Bay. At the height of the Florida real estate boom of the 1920s, architects were trying to design distinctive and luxurious structures for Davis Islands and they dreamed of a grand design to fit the developer's equally as grand dreams and ambitions. The 600+ year-old design of the Palazza Vecchio fit that dream. This photograph of the tower and exterior staircase show the terra cotta, wrought iron and stucco materials used throughout the building. Rather than Florentine officials and Medicis, Tampa's Palace of Florence features eight apartments in the 3-story building . Completed in 1926, at a cost of $350,000, it was restored in 2003 and is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. It is also received Local Landmark Status. Looking up from this vantage point, one can't help but want to climb the outside stairs to see what is up there and check out the view of the islands, Tampa and the bay. Great spot for watching the sun set.