This is a collection of things in the news and the blogosphere that made me smile today. I hope you will enjoy them too.

Someone forwarded me this Close Encounter with an Emu from Liveleaks

WARNING: this video contains strong language. Although no stronger than what I would say if this happened to me!

My favourite comment is in the description: “Wouldn’t it have been awkward to have a bird strike with a flightless bird?”

Yesterday a Tornado jet crashed into the sea off the west coast of Scotland. Both crew ejected and were rescued.

BBC News – Tornado jet crew eject before aircraft crashes

The helicopter’s pilot Iain Campbell described the rescue as a textbook recovery in perfect conditions.

He said the crew told him that they were forced to ditch after the plane caught fire at 6,000 feet.

The jet’s pilot had attempted to reach Stornoway Airport on Lewis, in the Western Isles, Highlands and Islands Airports Limited has confirmed.

A full emergency was declared at the airport but was later stood down.

Stornoway Coastguard said its helicopter located the two crew and their life rafts. It flew the pilot and navigator to hospital, reaching Inverness at about 1545 GMT.

Witnesses said a second Tornado circled the crash scene moments after the jet went down.

THE BBC has a video of the plane flying low over the Western Isles shortly before the crash and photographs of lifeboats collecting the wreckage.

I know this makes me an unabashed supporter of litterbugs but I think this Samsung marketing campaign is awesome.

Project Space Planes is a Samsung campaign to launch 200 paper places from the “edge of space.” Each plane is carrying a Samsung SD Memory Card with a message that someone, somewhere in the world has uploaded. The planes were dropped from 36,500 metres over Berlin, Germany.

The planes are being found now and the Project Space Planes has set up a Flight Log to track the planes that are found. You can follow the updates on Twitter as well.

Here is a list of locations that people have reported seeing the planes and cards in:

Minden, Germany

Bremen, Germany

Berlin, Germany

The Netherlands

Turlock, CA, USA

Winnpeg, Canada

South Africa

We’re looking into all of these reports now. How cool, huh?

I’ve decided. A MiG 29. That is what I want for Christmas.

MiG-29 Fighter Soars Over The Pacific Northwest

A former Ukranian MiG-29 fighter has become the second privately owned MiG-29 to fly, taking to the air over Washington six years after it left Eastern Europe. Capable of speeds of Mach 2.2 and altitudes of nearly 60,000ft, the Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-29 “Fulcrum” is a far cry from the 1927-57 vintage airplanes that Historic Flight Foundation specializes in restoring.

However, the opportunity to work on something so different was an irresistible lure to John Sessions, the founder of Historic Flight, who wanted to verify that a complex high-performance aircraft could be restored by following the same rules and guidelines as a vintage airplane. The resulting aircraft is one of the most pristine examples of its type anywhere in the world.

It’s around 20 years old and has 510 flight hours. It’s taken them ten years to get it into working order (including Hong Kong officials seizing in transit as military contraband and holding it for for two years) but the MiG-29 completed its first flight last week. Wouldn’t you love to be that pilot?

And finally, Sulako posted this clip in This Will Bake Your Noodles. I’m not sure what that means but I think he might be right. This interactive video by northStudio360 and Nimmo Bay allows you to use the mouse to change your viewpoint, even looking straight up at the helicopter holding the camera. Click it to start.

If you know of more aviation news or videos that will bring a smile to my face, add it to the comments. :D