The provisions of this Act relating to wreck and to salvage of life or property and to the duty to render assistance to ships in distress shall apply to aircraft as they apply to ships, and the owner of an aircraft shall be entitled to the award of a sum for salvage services rendered by the aircraft and be liable to pay a sum of salvage in respect of services rendered in saving life from the aircraft or in saving the aircraft or any wreck from the aircraft in any case where the owner of the aircraft would have been so entitled or liable had it been a ship.