How to Scrape Aircraft Information and Images Using Selenium

Web scraping is a powerful technique for extracting data from websites automatically. In this article, we’ll explore how to scrape aircraft information and images from a website using Selenium, a popular web automation tool.

The focus of this scraping project is to extract aircraft information and image URLs. The author specifically mentions wanting to extract aircraft details starting from a specific page (pack 13) and obtaining JSP files.

Key Components of the Scraping Process

The scraping process involves several important elements:

• Selenium: The primary tool used for automation and interaction with the website
• Proxy Provider: Implemented to avoid detection by the target website
• Human Simulation Function: A custom function that mimics human-like behavior to prevent the server from detecting automated activity

Scraping Results

During the demonstration, the scraper successfully extracted information about aircraft including:

• Aircraft image URLs
• Details about Skyworks Airlines aircraft
• Information about specific aircraft models (including what appears to be a BAe 146-300)

The output contained approximately 30 results, which was more than initially expected according to the author.

Viewing the Scraped Data

The scraped data included JSP files that could be opened directly. The images showed various Skyworks Airlines aircraft, which could be accessed by following the extracted URLs.

Technical Considerations

When implementing such a scraper, it’s important to:

• Use proper detection avoidance techniques
• Implement delays and random behaviors to mimic human interaction
• Handle potential errors when accessing different URLs
• Verify that the extracted data matches what was expected

This approach to web scraping demonstrates how Selenium can be effectively used to gather specific information from aviation websites, providing access to aircraft details and images in an automated fashion.