I don’t have a new opinion piece for you today but I did put together a selection of aviation news from the past week. Unfortunately, plane crashes have dominated the headlines.

Aviation Headlines

Cessna takes off without pilot – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

A light aircraft has taken off at Coober Pedy in outback South Australia without the pilot.

Continental Airlines Flight 128 makes emergency landing in Miami after getting slammed by turbulence

Four people aboard Continental Airlines Flight 128 were seriously injured, and 10 others had to be taken to hospitals, authorities said.

Eight hurt on Spanish jet at Paris airport – Yahoo! News UK

The plane was evacuated after the fire began on the Airbus A320’s right engine at 10:36 a.m. (9:36 a.m. British time), as it taxied from the terminal, Vueling said in a communique.

Bangkok Post : 1 confirmed death in Bangkok Airways crash

The plane reportedly skidded off the runway and collided with an old control tower as the captain attemped to land at Samui airport.

Plane Carrying 16 Disappears in Indonesia – International News – FOXNews.com

Nikmatullah, who goes by a single name, said no trace had been found of the plane more then four hours after it took off. The aircraft was carrying enough fuel to keep it in the air for 3 1/2 hours, he told Metro TV station.

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Laser owners ‘arrested on sight’

The worst affected areas were regional airports with 15 in Cardiff, 12 in Manchester, nine in Liverpool, nine in Birmingham and seven in Edinburgh.

Update

I posted a number of aerial shots from a flight over England where I was the passenger. One of them has been identified!

Scott Dunn from Yellowbird – The adventures of a boy and his airplane (recommended reading) identified the location in the comments:

The last photo (Abandoned junk in the yard) is Salisbury Hall, originally built in the 1600’s. During WWII, the famous de Havilland Mosquito fighter-bomber was developed there in secret. The site now hosts the de Havilland Aircraft Heritage Centre, where the original Mosquito prototype is on display along with a number of other historic de Havilland aircraft and artifacts.

So now I need to go back so that I can visit the de Havilland Museum from the ground!