A Spanish airliner bound for the Canary Islands at the height of the vacation season crashed, burned and broke into pieces Wednesday while trying to take off from Madrid, killing 153 people on board, officials said.

When it comes to air travel, the rich and famous fly in their own private jets, fitted with luxurious interiors to suit their affluent taste and make their trips more comfortable and enjoyable.

10. Donald Trump - Boeing 727-23
Originally operated by American Airlines, this 1968 vintage jet was reconfigured to hold 23, with pale leather armchairs, gold plated seatbelt buckles, oil paintings, and Waterford crystal lamps. The “Trump” logo on the side of the aircraft is 30 feet long, 4 feet high, and made of 23 carat gold leaf.

9. Roman Abramovich - Boeing 767-33A
This 767 may look ordinary on the outside, but its interior is reportedly outfitted with chestnut and decorated with gold. The aircraft can often be spotted at Luton Airport some 40 miles north of London, where Abramovich spends much of his time.

8. The Sultan of Brunei - Boeing 747-430
The Sultan bought this 747 brand new for at least $100 million and had it fitted with a special interior and features such as washbasins of solid gold and Lalique crystal at an additional cost of some $120 million. The Sultan has several other aircraft, but this is his largest.

7. Jimmy Buffett - Grumman HU-16 Albatross
This former military Grumman HU-16 Albatross amphibian aircraft owned by singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett is named “The Hemisphere Dancer”. In 1996, it was shot at in Jamaica by local police who suspected it of carrying drugs.

6. Air Force One
The aircraft used to transport President George W. Bush on important state and domestic visits, Air Force One is a Boeing 747-200B that has been heavily modified with secure communications systems, electronic equipment, a self-contained baggage loader, front and aft air stairs, and the ability to refuel in-flight.

5. Mark Cuban - Boeing 767-277
Billionaire Mark Cuban, who owns the Dallas Mavericks NBA basketball team, reportedly had custom-made seats installed on the aircraft that are large enough to accommodate the team’s tallest players.

4. Elvis Presley - Convair 880
Named “Lisa Marie” after Elvis’ daughter, this Convair 880 was customized with 28 seats instead of the usual 110. The tail of the now preserved jet was painted with The King’s personal “TCB” logo, which stands for “Takin’ Care of Business”.

3. Bill Gates - Bombardier BD-700 Global Express
Owned by Challenger Administration LLC on Bill Gates’ behalf, this jet can carry eight people at a cruising altitude of 51,000 feet for a distance of 6,500 nautical miles, a range that permits nonstop Tokyo-New York or Los Angeles-Moscow flights.

2. Wayne Huizenga - de Havilland Canada DHC-6-320 Twin Otter
One of the most rugged and reliable utility transport aircraft ever built, the unpressurized Twin Otter can carry up to 19 people and take off from and land on rough strips as short as 100 yards. This aircraft appeared in a seaplane chase scene in the James Bond film “Casino Royale”.

1. Harrison Ford - Cessna 525B CJ3 Citation Jet
Harrison Ford pilots his own CJ3, which can carry six people in comfort for some 1,900 nautical miles. Ford is considered so good a pilot that the FAA asked him to be the spokesman for the runway incursion awareness and prevention campaign that the agency started in 2001.

Aviation has been and will always be one of the greatest breakthroughs in technological development.  Aviation has been the backbone of many industries and has played key roles too for many years.

10.  Broadcasting – Broadcasting journalism has benefited greatly from the aviation industry, with the advent of the “news chopper,” providing live traffic updates to viewers and listeners. Stations employed helicopters to provide unique views of breaking news events.

9.  Public Displays – Air racing has been a spectacular and dangerous high-speed aerial display. Outside of air racing, pilots also display their skills in aerobatic displays and military demos, like those held at the EAA AirVenture air show held annually at Oshkosh. These events also host experimental and home-made aircraft.

8.  Aerial Photography – The military world made way for aerial photography, capturing great bird’s-eye-views. During the 20^th century, cartographers, archaeologists and film makers benefited from an eagle’s-eye view. NASA utilized the Ikhana unmanned craft since 2007, photographing wildfires in California to aid firefighters.

7.  Agriculture – Hot-air balloons were also utilized in the practice of top dressing. In the 1940s and 1950s, converted World War II aircraft became the standard for crop dusting and farmers benefited on the low-flying planes. In the 1960s, the Piper Pawnee series which was specially designed for agricultural work, came into general use. Today, ag planes come equipped with GPS technologies and can cover more acres per flight than ever before. But crop dusting remains among the more dangerous aviation professions. However, Yamaha’s remote-controlled miniature helicopters solved this problem and thousands are currently used in Japan to cultivate rice paddies.

6.  Aerial Firefighting – Aerial firefighting started with creative techniques. Water-filled wooden barrels and hoses were the first tools to fight wildfires from above. Eventually, firefighters began dropping retardants such as borate salts. Today, ammonium sulfate and ammonium polyphosphate are emitted from large airtankers.

5.  Business – By the 1950s, business trips were a major source of commercial air travel and airplanes allowed professionals to have face-to-face meetings around the country, across the world and more often than was previously possible. Today, business/private aviation is growing and in-demand field.

4.  Search and Rescue (SAR) – SAR efforts are conducted around the world in urban areas, in mountains and forests and in oceans, on foot, in aircraft, by ski patrols and even canines. When the Coast Guard came to have its own aviation division, it pioneered the use of helicopters for SAR. SAR air teams have played key roles in disaster relief efforts.

3.  Military – Military forces were using aviation to track the movements of their enemies. War brought urgency to the development of military aircraft such as bombers and fighters, which played key roles in every war.

2.  Emergency Medical Services – Aviation’s one of the most indispensable uses is the transportation of the sick and injured needing medical attention. Helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft alike are used in air emergency medical services.

1.  Air Travel – Air travel allowed access to even the most remote parts of the earth and it became indispensable to connect and bridge the gap between people and places.

The National Aviation Day, celebrated on the 19th day of August, is a United States national observation that celebrates the development of human flight.  The aforementioned holiday was established by a presidential proclamation in 1939, which designated the anniversary of Orville Wright’s birthday to be National Aviation Day.

The President may issue each year a proclamation

• designating August 19 as National Aviation Day;
• calling on United States Government officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on National Aviation Day; and
• inviting the people of the United States to observe National Aviation Day with appropriate exercises to further stimulate interest in aviation in the United States.