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Former pilot shares tips for fighting jet lag

<p dir="ltr">A former pilot has shared his fool-proof tips for beating jet lag when you’re flying to the other side of the world. </p> <p dir="ltr">As an ex-airline pilot, Jeremy Burfoot knows a thing or two about dealing with dreaded jet lag. </p> <p dir="ltr">After his years flying Qantas planes to every corner of the globe, Captain Burfoot has revealed to <em><a href="https://travel.nine.com.au/latest/how-to-beat-jet-lag-ex-airline-pilot-shares-hack-for-flights-to-europe/656b0602-9cd2-4923-b3b4-1310a2613235">9Travel</a></em> the unique way he would combat the condition while he was working.  </p> <p dir="ltr">"I used to try and stay in a time zone of where I was living," he told <em>9Travel</em>. "So I went to London, I would just sleep during the day and go out at night."</p> <p dir="ltr">However, for those who need to be up during usual hours, he advised trying to avoid one thing.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The first day you get there, spend all day in the sun, in the daylight," he says. "Resist having an afternoon nap so you're really tired when you go to bed."</p> <p dir="ltr">Captain Burfoot went on to share his hacks for anyone flying from Australia or New Zealand to Europe, which can be some of the most gruelling flight paths in the world. </p> <p dir="ltr">"If I was planning to go to Europe, I would try to split it into two, try to fly both of the days in the daylight," he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"You'd want to be on a flight to Singapore out of Australia that leaves in the morning, so you're basically doing a daylight flight to Singapore, then you have an overnight, eat some curry or something.”</p> <p dir="ltr">"And the next day catch a daylight flight to Europe. So it doesn't actually feel like you're up in the middle of the night."</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Captain Jeremy Burfoot</em></p>

Travel Tips

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Even after the government’s aviation crackdown, Australia will lag behind on flyers’ rights

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ian-douglas-2932">Ian Douglas</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a></em></p> <p>When it comes to consumer protections for airline passengers, Australia has long been dragging its feet.</p> <p>The limited protections we do have rely heavily on the general <a href="https://consumer.gov.au/index.php/australian-consumer-law">Australian Consumer Law</a>. The “consumer guarantees” provided in this law only require services to be delivered in the arguably vague framework of a “reasonable time”.</p> <p>That might be okay if we’re just getting a sofa delivered from a furniture retailer. The cost of a late delivery is low.</p> <p>But these guarantees were not tailored to the unique impacts delayed or cancelled flights can have on travellers. Australia’s lack of aviation-specific protections has long been a severe <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Airlines%20Terms%20and%20Conditions%20Report.pdf">pain point</a> for flyers, only heightened by pandemic disruption.</p> <p>The government’s much-awaited <a href="https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure-transport-vehicles/aviation/aviation-white-paper">Aviation White Paper</a>, released in full on Monday, promised to address this issue. At the heart of the reforms, Australia will get a new aviation ombud scheme, and a new charter of customer rights for passengers.</p> <p>The recognition that new protections are needed is a step in the right direction. But this once-in-a-generation white paper missed the chance to achieve far more, by moving Australia to the style of consumer protection that have now been offered for 20 years in <a href="https://www.airhelp.com/en-int/ec-regulation-261-2004/">Europe</a>.</p> <h2>Why is air travel unique?</h2> <p>Airline customers have a reasonable expectation of arriving at their destination, at (or close to) the time published by the airline in its schedule at the time the reservation was paid and ticketed.</p> <p>If this can’t be achieved, they should at least arrive at some amended time that was advised far enough in advance to allow related reservations and bookings to be adjusted.</p> <p>Air travel has to be punctual because it doesn’t have any substitutes. On even a modest deadline, driving from Perth or even Sydney to Melbourne, for example, is not a comparable option.</p> <p>And a passenger’s options to adapt their travel plans diminish as the departure date approaches. In the final days before travel, hotel cancellation deadlines pass and alternative connecting flight options sell out or spike in price.</p> <p>In some cases, travelling to a specific event can become pointless for a passenger if a delay is lengthy enough.</p> <h2>Australia is playing catch-up</h2> <p>In contrast with Australia, aviation-specific protections have long existed in many other developed economies.</p> <p>In the European Union (EU), for example, <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=LEGISSUM%3Al24173">regulations</a> make clear that airlines have specific obligations and responsibilities in the event of delays, cancellations and denied boardings. This includes the <a href="https://www.airhelp.com/en-int/ec-regulation-261-2004/">right to compensation</a> of up to €600 (A$988).</p> <p>These protections and the levels of compensation payable for failure to meet specified requirements for different kinds of flights are comprehensively legislated.</p> <p>Canada has a <a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2019-150/index.html">slightly different approach</a> – smaller regional carriers have different obligations to mainline operators. But as with the European regulation, it imposes an obligation to get the passenger to the ticketed destination, or to refund the ticket if the journey has become pointless.</p> <p>The absence of such legislated protections in Australia means we typically have to rely on the goodwill of the airline when things go wrong.</p> <h2>Real action has been delayed</h2> <p>The centrepiece proposal of the <a href="https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure-transport-vehicles/aviation/aviation-white-paper">white paper</a> is to create a new ombud scheme with “the power to direct airlines and airports to provide remedies to consumers and investigate customer complaints about airlines’ and airports’ conduct”. This will replace the existing <a href="https://www.airlinecustomeradvocate.com.au/General/Default.aspx">Airline Customer Advocate</a>.</p> <p>A new charter of customer rights, to be produced by the scheme, will aim to give flyers “greater certainty about what they can expect when flights are cancelled and delayed” and require airlines to be more transparent about their performance.</p> <p>The white paper noted the poor on-time performance of Australian carriers. It also pointed out that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission <a href="https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/Airlines%20Terms%20and%20Conditions%20Report.pdf">identified</a> problems with consumer protections for air travel in Australia as far back as 2017. But its proposals offer no real quantifiable or enforceable improvements to consumer rights.</p> <p>Despite the well-established models in comparable countries – many of which have <a href="https://theconversation.com/if-australia-had-an-aviation-ombudsman-passengers-could-get-compensation-for-cancelled-flights-235679">followed the EU’s lead</a> – Australians will need to wait for yet another discussion process to be complete before they see what protections may eventually be introduced.</p> <p>The government’s white paper has largely just kicked the can down the road.</p> <p>At a minimum, passengers on Australian carriers deserve the assurances given to those travelling in and from Europe: in the event of a cancellation or long delay, that they will be transported to their destination on an alternative flight as quickly as possible.</p> <p>They should also be given appropriate meals and accommodation until they can make this onward journey, receive compensation for lengthy delays, and have the option to return home with a full refund if their travel has become pointless.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/237469/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ian-douglas-2932">Ian Douglas</a>, Honorary Senior Lecturer, UNSW Aviation, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/even-after-the-governments-aviation-crackdown-australia-will-lag-behind-on-flyers-rights-237469">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Domestic Travel

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Doctor shares his top tips for tackling jet lag

<p dir="ltr">Dr Nick Coatsworth has shared his fool-proof hacks to tackle jet lag on your next international flight. </p> <p dir="ltr">The TV host and doctor often travels around the world for work, and as a result, knows a thing or two about feeling jet lagged. </p> <p dir="ltr">"I hate jet lag. I suffer from it a lot," he told <em><a href="https://travel.nine.com.au/latest/flight-tips-how-to-avoid-jet-lag-dr-nick-coatsworth/37872af3-ff61-48c1-810d-4b20f4d2bde2">9Travel</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Despite being prone to jet lag, Coatsworth has honed his own tips for tackling the dreaded side effect of travelling across time zones.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Stay awake for as long as you possibly can to try and reset your body clock," he advises.</p> <p dir="ltr">Another go-to hack to overcome jet lag is a simple change you can make as soon as you board the plane. </p> <p dir="ltr">"As soon as I get on the plane I change my watch to the destination time," he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">While there are many tips and tricks floating around that people use to beat the dreaded jet lag, Dr Nick said all you can do is try to adjust to a new time zone as soon as possible. </p> <p dir="ltr">"Ultimately you've just got to push through the fatigue and try and resync yourself as quickly as possible," he says.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Nine / Shutterstock</em></p>

Travel Tips

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The one in-flight activity to avoid to conquer jet lag

<p dir="ltr">While many people love to travel and explore new destinations, there’s no doubt that the worst part of a holiday is often the long-haul flight. </p> <p dir="ltr">With many holidays, especially ones overseas, a drastic change of timezones can mean jet lag is unavoidable, but there are a few things you can do to make life easy when you land. </p> <p dir="ltr">According to one travel expert, how you feel when you disembark often boils down to your in-flight activities. </p> <p dir="ltr">Sarah Built, who has worked up a lifetime of long-haul travel as the Etihad Airways Vice President of Sales for Australasia, told <em><a href="https://travel.nine.com.au/latest/flight-tips-how-to-avoid-jet-lag/db8fbda1-2318-44c0-b9fe-e14d11dec70c">9Travel</a></em> that there is one thing she always avoids onboard in order to land at her destination feeling fresh: alcohol. </p> <p dir="ltr">"Whilst the allure of coffee, cocktails and snacks is real (particularly if you're travelling with kids), they can actually contribute to dehydration and worsen jet lag," she says.</p> <p dir="ltr">Instead of that in-flight beer glass of wine, Sarah says to drink water (with lime added for a twist) or herbal tea to boost your hydration and lessen that groggy mid-flight feeling.</p> <p dir="ltr">Drinking water is obviously also the key to staying hydrated, as Sarah says it's important to start drinking extra water the day before your flight, so you're going in prepared.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I carry a reusable water bottle to keep fluids up during the journey (most airports will have water stations for you to refill easily)," she says, which means you won't need to pay for an overpriced bottle at the airport.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Dehydration can cause headaches and fatigue, and you want to be able to hit the ground running on arrival, so always remember to drink plenty of water," she advises.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p>

Travel Tips

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The unique travel hack that is guaranteed to help beat jet lag

<p dir="ltr">Experts have revealed how to beat jet lag on your next overseas holiday, and it all comes down to your modes of transport. </p> <p dir="ltr">Sleep researchers said it's good news for cruise lovers, as exposure to sea air and bright natural light improves sleep to cure the annoying condition quickly.</p> <p dir="ltr">Some experts say to avoid travelling by plane all together, and always opt for cruising holidays instead. </p> <p dir="ltr">However, if you have to travel to your cruise by plane, being on board is a great way to tackle the dreadful feeling, compared with holidaying on land, Panache Cruises said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Dr Lindsay Browning, expert at Trouble Sleeping said exposing yourself to bright lights at the right time after a long-haul flight is one of the most powerful things we can do to boost and help shift circadian rhythm, and being on a ship is the perfect place for that.</p> <p dir="ltr">"As a general rule, you want to get lots of bright light exposure during the daytime and avoid light at night," Browning said.</p> <p dir="ltr">"When travelling on a cruise ship, you will naturally get a lot of bright light exposure during the day, helping your circadian rhythm.”</p> <p dir="ltr">"Further, when travelling by ship you will have a cabin with a proper bed and curtain, enabling you to sleep at night when you want to."</p> <p dir="ltr">The company claimed research showed how prolonged exposure to sea air can improve blood oxygen levels, boost vitamin D, and improve breathing leading to higher-quality sleep, helping to rid travellers of pesky jet lag so they can enjoy their holidays. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Travel Tips

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Politicians slam Albanese's "hypocritical" private jet use

<p>Anthony Albanese has been urged to consider his carbon footprint after his controversial usage of a private jet. </p> <p>A group of independent MPs have asked the Prime Minister to offset his carbon usage after it was revealed that he and two other ministers chartered two private planes to attend the same clean energy event in the NSW Hunter Valley. </p> <p>Albanese was joined by Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen and Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic to fly to the region from Canberra on Thursday to announce a $1bn to support Australian manufacturing in solar technology.</p> <p>Teal MP Zali Steggall urged the leaders to offset their carbon emissions from the short journey when it was revealed that the three men flew separately in two separate Royal Australian Air Force jets.</p> <p>“I certainly hope they were offsetting the emissions of those two jets with companies, like Green fleet and other places like that where you can offset the emissions of your travel,” Ms Stegall told <em>Sunrise</em>. </p> <p>“I certainly hope and I call on the Minister for Climate Change to do that. Look, as a lowly independent, we don’t get the luxuries of flying in the ADF jets.”</p> <p>Private jets have a dramatically higher carbon footprint per passenger than commercial planes, with the average private jet emitting two tonnes of carbon an hour.</p> <p>Mr Bowen defended the use of the planes, saying the use of two private jets was a decision made by the airforce for safety reasons.</p> <p>“The Prime Minister has a large jet available to him and that would normally be what we take,” he said on Monday.</p> <p>“The runway at Scone wasn’t strong enough to take a large jet so the air force … decided for two jets.”</p> <p>Opposition transport spokeswoman Bridget McKenzie said the government should consider “jet pooling” and should make a conscious effort to cut down on the harmful use of private jets, which emit more carbon per passenger than commercial planes.</p> <p>“I fail to see why these guys, when they’re leaving from the same place on the same day, within 30 minutes of each other, couldn’t have either shared the plane or indeed, some of them, if they couldn’t all fit, use the commercial options that were available to them to fly direct from Canberra to Newcastle to make the announcement,” Senator McKenzie said. </p> <p>“It’s quite incredible.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Tom Cruise’s unconventional acceptance speech

<p dir="ltr">Tom Cruise has given one of the most unique acceptance speeches at the 2023 MTV Movie &amp; TV Awards.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 60-year-old, who famously performs his own stunts and is a licensed pilot himself, delivered a pre-recorded speech on May 7 while flying a World War II propeller plane.</p> <p dir="ltr">Cruise won best performance in a movie for <em>Top Gun: Maverick</em>.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Things we'll never forget: <a href="https://twitter.com/TomCruise?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TomCruise</a>'s performance in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TopGun?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TopGun</a>: Maverick 🎥 </p> <p>Congrats to Tom Cruise on winning Best Performance in a Movie at the 2023 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MTVAwards?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MTVAwards</a>! <a href="https://t.co/dZr3Wglpdq">pic.twitter.com/dZr3Wglpdq</a></p> <p>— Movie &amp; TV Awards (@MTVAwards) <a href="https://twitter.com/MTVAwards/status/1655367059994456065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr"> “Hi everyone, thank you so much for this award,” he said from the cockpit. “I make these films for you. I love you. I love entertaining you. To know how much you enjoy it, how much you appreciate it, there’s just no better feeling.”</p> <p dir="ltr">In his acceptance speech, Cruise appears to be piloting the P-51 Mustang plane that he owns, which was featured in Top Gun: Maverick.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You have a wonderful summer," Cruise said in his speech. "Thank you again for letting me entertain you. It’s an absolute privilege. We’ll see you at the movies.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Cruise also recorded a similar message from the same plane that was played for King Charles II during the coronation concert on May 8. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Pilot to pilot," Cruise said. "Your Majesty, you can be my wingman any time.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credit: Twitter</em></p>

Movies

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This house is out of this world

<p>Tiny houses can act as the perfect passion project for anyone with the drive - and resources - to give it a try. Even, as it turns out, those who dream of soaring to new heights with their success. </p> <p>And for one property in southern Hungary, that’s exactly where it looks to be heading! </p> <p>Dubbed the ‘Jet House’, this aeroplane-shaped home invites all who stay there to “fasten your seatbelts, [and] get ready to take off with our newest cabin”. </p> <p>Described by its creators, the team at Hello Wood, this “not-so-everyday tiny house” is said to have “flown out of a cartoon and landed on the meadow.” </p> <p>Boasting “friendly arcs and curves and round windows”, it seems something straight out of a child’s wildest fantasies. And, it turns out, it is! </p> <p>The team’s brief was simple, and came directly from their “youngest client ever - 12-year-old Lujzi”. Lujzi wanted something that could double as a playhouse for time with her friends, and for sleep, before later being “converted into lodging”, as explained on Hello Wood’s project page. As they put it, “the concept was to create a full-fledged, functional tiny house that is more reminiscent of a beautiful design toy than a building.”</p> <p>The team noted on social media that the house is “fitted out with a kitchen, bathroom and a bedroom with [a] built-in desk and bench”. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CnjmMi4oJVn/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CnjmMi4oJVn/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by HELLO WOOD (@hellowood)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Though, since the shape of the home is not typical, “it had design questions as well as building challenges” that the team were faced to overcome to complete their ambitious project. And luckily for Lujzi, they found a way. </p> <p>The jet home was constructed with wings made from “spacious terraces”, a circular window that covers its nose, and airport stairs to get to the front door. Comprising more than a thousand structural pieces, the property could not feature the likes of junctions or sewers on its exterior if the team hoped to “maintain the clean silhouette”. To combat this, they employed the use of “a ‘protective coating’, an innovative waterproofing layer that secures the durability of the tiny house.”</p> <p>Inside the cabin, which can sleep two, the team achieved a retro feel by implementing rounded shapes at every opportunity, and wooden elements wherever made sense. Two real aeroplane seats sourced from Sky Art completed the vision. with a series of other “aviation relics” that Lujzi and her father had collected - including, but not limited to, boarding passes, inflight brochures, plane-shaped trinkets, and a Pan Am model plane. </p> <p>"We were happy to accept the unusual assignment,” said Tamás Fülöp, the Jet House’s project architect. “As an architect, it is an inspiring task to design a structure that has to be cute. It was also a challenge to incorporate traditional architectural elements into the sculptural shape, such as waterproofing, vapour barrier, and thermal insulation.”</p> <p><em>Images: @hellowood @@zsuzsa.darab / Instagram</em></p>

Real Estate

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Beat jet lag with these tips and tricks

<p>Tossing and turning, eating because you’re bored and trying to pry your eyes open after a long-haul flight. If you’ve experienced one of these while flying, I am sure you’re well aware of the woes that, unfortunately, come with jet lag. While jetting off is an exciting time, the out-of-whack body clock is most certainly not!</p> <p>The key to beating jet lag is understanding what it is and what is going on with your body. Put simply, jet lag means your circadian rhythm (a fancy name for body clock) is out of synch with its new environment. It’s likely to occur when you cross four or more time zones at once. While travel in the westward direction is said to be kinder on the body clock, either which way you fly, jet lag is an annoyance I am sure everyone would prefer to do without.</p> <p>If your trip involves travelling across five time zones, you might want to consider a stopover. Here are some other helpful little tricks that actually work.</p> <p><strong>Sleep bank</strong><br />Prior to flying ensure you are getting enough sleep. Don’t stay up the night before a flight thinking you’ll sleep on the plane because if you can’t get to sleep on the plane you will be out of whack. Instead, in the days prior to take-off, try and get as much good quality sleep as you can.</p> <p><strong>Time-zone trickery</strong> <br />The key to beating jet lag is all the smooth transition between two time zones. Map out a plan before you get on board and set your clock to the time at your destination as you get on board. You’ll want to divide your flight time to accommodate time zone transition. For example, the flight from Sydney to LA might leave at midday but reach LAX at 5.30am. Given that 12pm Sydney is 5pm in LA, and the flight is about 13 hours, you should spend no more that the first half of the flight awake. Tailor the inflight services to your needs, even if that means missing a meal (often breakfast) so you can sneak in an extra hour of shut-eye.</p> <p><strong>Dress right</strong> <br />Although being able to easily fall asleep does have a lot to do with how comfortable you are, there are other factors, ones within your control, which you should consider. For instance wearing a good quality eye mask to block out light and choosing light, comfortable clothing made from a nice natural fabric that breathes (such as cotton) will help you get comfy and ready for sleep. Obviously lying down helps but failing be able to fly business class, at least try and choose your seat.</p> <p><strong>Eat light</strong> <br />You should watch what you eat not only before you fly but also on the flight too. Before you jet off you’ll want to steer clear of rich, heavy foods. Instead opt for lighter meals that include veggies. This is so your stomach doesn’t have to go into heavy-duty digestion mode once you’re on-board. If you can, make your pre-flight meal your main one and then eat light on the flight, leaning towards foods that are easy to digest. It’s better for your stomach to have two smaller meals when you fly allowing yourself ample digestion time in between rather that quickly eating a three-course meal.</p> <p><strong>Say no to drugs</strong> <br />Try to avoid using sleeping tablets as they tend to disrupt normal sleep cycles and may prolong jetlag.</p> <p><strong>Drink H20</strong> <br />Water is your best ally when fighting jet lag. It’s best to buy a bottle before you board so you always have a supply with you. Most planes (unless you’re in business or above) only serve water by the glass.</p> <p><strong>Limit caffeine and alcohol</strong> <br />You should minimise, if not cease, your intake of caffeine and alcohol and ensure you are well hydrated before and during the flight. You might think a couple of glasses of wine will send you off into a nice deep sleep, but not only alcohol dehydrate you, it also tends to result in inefficient sleep.</p> <p><strong>Keep active</strong> <br />Regular physical activity – such as walking around the plane and stretching – may also be beneficial.</p> <p><strong>Stop-over strategy</strong> <br />If you have a stop-over take advantage of what is available to you. If this is not a good time to sleep for the timezone you’re heading to, don’t! Instead have a shower (they’re often at big airports and can be used by anyone for a small fee), stock up on another light meal and avoid sitting around. Going for a walk around it a good way to stay awake and stimulated. If you can get some fresh air, do!</p> <p><strong>Landing strategy</strong> <br />As soon as possible after landing you’ll want to take a shower and have breakfast – if it’s breakfast time. Look for high protein options avoiding the easy carb route and get a good portion of salads or greens. A fresh juice is also a good option. And if you like your coffee, go for it. A good shot of coffee will reboot your energy levels. Berocca can also be helpful. If it’s daytime when you land, go out and expose yourself to daylight – the stimulus will help reset your body clock by regulating melatonin. And although you may feel like going to bed, stay awake and be somewhat physically active at least until sundown. Immediately adopting the local time is the best way to crush jet lag in just a few days: don’t go to bed before 10pm when you land, and get yourself out of bed before 10am on the first morning. Nothing quite kills motivation as much as jet lag, and when you land, the last thing you want to do is head out for a nice long walk or light jog, but pushing yourself to doing just that is one of the best things for you. It will help you revitalise your numb muscles after the flight, and give you more energy during the following days. If you have a beach or pool nearby, go for a swim. It is sure to give you a revitalised feeling. The general rule is you should exercise a night if you travelled westwards, and in the morning if you travelled eastwards.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Travel Tips

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How to beat jet lag and get the most out of your holiday

<p dir="ltr">There’s nothing more frustrating than not being able to explore somewhere new because you’re just too tired. </p> <p dir="ltr">However, a few travel experts have revealed their best tips for avoiding jet lag so you can acclimatise to your new destination as quickly as possible.</p> <p dir="ltr">The main advice from the experts is to adjust to the local time when you board the plane. They suggest eating and sleeping as if it’s the time at your destination from the moment you get onboard the plane. </p> <p dir="ltr">Another tip is having your meals at the times you will be eating once you arrive, as this will help your body adjust, making it easier for you to get in sync.</p> <p dir="ltr">They even suggest eating before you get on your plane if you can, if it fits better with your new schedule.</p> <p dir="ltr">Sleep is an important part of acclimatising too. If you’re arriving at your destination in the morning, maximising the amount of sleep on the plane is the priority to make sure you are fresh when you arrive.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, if you are landing in the evening, it’s best to sleep when you arrive at the same time as the locals.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-7a79dafb-7fff-9290-98a1-019d582cbf29"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Sometimes that might mean pushing through to evening if you’re tired, but the benefits for the rest of the trip will make it worthwhile. Try to push yourself to power through in order to get the most  out of your holiday.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

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Facial recognition is on the rise – but the law is lagging a long way behind

<p>Private companies and public authorities are quietly using facial recognition systems around Australia.</p> <p>Despite the growing use of this controversial technology, there is little in the way of specific regulations and guidelines to govern its use.</p> <p><strong>Spying on shoppers</strong></p> <p>We were reminded of this fact recently when consumer advocates at CHOICE <a href="https://www.choice.com.au/consumers-and-data/data-collection-and-use/how-your-data-is-used/articles/kmart-bunnings-and-the-good-guys-using-facial-recognition-technology-in-store" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> that major retailers in Australia are using the technology to identify people claimed to be thieves and troublemakers.</p> <p>There is no dispute about the goal of reducing harm and theft. But there is also little transparency about how this technology is being used.</p> <p>CHOICE found that most people have no idea their faces are being scanned and matched to stored images in a database. Nor do they know how these databases are created, how accurate they are, and how secure the data they collect is.</p> <p>As CHOICE discovered, the notification to customers is inadequate. It comes in the form of small, hard-to-notice signs in some cases. In others, the use of the technology is announced in online notices rarely read by customers.</p> <p>The companies clearly don’t want to draw attention to their use of the technology or to account for how it is being deployed.</p> <p><strong>Police are eager</strong></p> <p>Something similar is happening with the use of the technology by Australian police. Police in New South Wales, for example, have embarked on a “low-volume” <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jul/01/calls-to-stop-nsw-police-trial-of-national-facial-recognition-system-over-lack-of-legal-safeguards" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trial</a> of a nationwide face-recognition database. This trial took place despite the fact that the enabling legislation for the national database has not yet been passed.</p> <p>In South Australia, controversy over Adelaide’s plans to upgrade its CCTV system with face-recognition capability led the city council to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-22/adelaide-city-council-votes-no-to-facial-recognition-in-cctv/101172924?utm_source=pocket_mylist" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vote</a> not to purchase the necessary software. The council has also asked South Australia Police not to use face-recognition technology until legislation is in place to govern its use.</p> <p>However, SA Police have <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-22/adelaide-city-council-votes-no-to-facial-recognition-in-cctv/101172924?utm_source=pocket_mylist" target="_blank" rel="noopener">indicated</a> an interest in using the technology.</p> <p>In a public <a href="https://www.itnews.com.au/news/sa-police-ignore-adelaide-council-plea-for-facial-recognition-ban-on-cctv-581559" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>, the police described the technology as a potentially useful tool for criminal investigations. The statement also noted:</p> <blockquote> <p>There is no legislative restriction on the use of facial recognition technology in South Australia for investigations.</p> </blockquote> <p><strong>A controversial tool</strong></p> <p>Adelaide City Council’s call for regulation is a necessary response to the expanding use of automated facial recognition.</p> <p>This is a powerful technology that promises to fundamentally change our experience of privacy and anonymity. There is already a large gap between the amount of personal information collected about us every day and our own knowledge of how this information is being used, and facial recognition will only make the gap bigger.</p> <p>Recent events suggest a reluctance on the part of retail outlets and public authorities alike to publicise their use of the technology.</p> <p>Although it is seen as a potentially useful tool, it can be a controversial one. A world in which remote cameras can identify and track people as they move through public space seems alarmingly Orwellian.</p> <p>The technology has also been criticised for being invasive and, in some cases, <a href="https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-tech/bias-in-facial-recognition-isnt-hard-to-discover-but-its-hard-to-get-rid-of/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">biased</a> and inaccurate. In the US, for example, people have already been <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/wrongful-arrests-ai-derailed-3-mens-lives/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrongly arrested</a> based on matches made by face-recognition systems.</p> <p><strong>Public pushback</strong></p> <p>There has also been widespread public opposition to the use of the technology in some cities and states in the US, which have gone so far as to impose <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/face-recognition-banned-but-everywhere/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bans</a> on its use.</p> <p>Surveys show the Australian public have <a href="https://securitybrief.com.au/story/australians-uneasy-about-facial-recognition-tech-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">concerns</a> about the invasiveness of the technology, but that there is also support for its potential use to increase public safety and security.</p> <p>Facial-recognition technology isn’t going away. It’s likely to become less expensive and more accurate and powerful in the near future. Instead of implementing it piecemeal, under the radar, we need to directly confront both the potential harms and benefits of the technology, and to provide clear rules for its use.</p> <p><strong>What would regulations look like?</strong></p> <p>Last year, then human rights commissioner Ed Santow called for <a href="https://www.itnews.com.au/news/human-rights-commission-calls-for-temporary-ban-on-high-risk-govt-facial-recognition-565173" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a partial ban</a> on the use of facial-recognition technology. He is now developing model legislation for how it might be regulated in Australia.</p> <p>Any regulation of the technology will need to consider both the potential benefits of its use and the risks to privacy rights and civic life.</p> <p>It will also need to consider enforceable standards for its proper use. These could include the right to correct inaccurate information, the need to provide human confirmation for automated forms of identification, and the setting of minimum standards of accuracy.</p> <p>They could also entail improving public consultation and consent around the use of the technology, and a requirement for the performance of systems to be accountable to an independent authority and to those researching the technology.</p> <p>As the reach of facial recognition expands, we need more public and parliamentary debate to develop appropriate regulations for governing its use.</p> <p><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mark-andrejevic-567958" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Andrejevic</a>, Professor, School of Media, Film, and Journalism, Monash University, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/monash-university-1065" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Monash University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gavin-jd-smith-195220" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gavin JD Smith</a>, Associate Professor in Sociology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian National University</a></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/facial-recognition-is-on-the-rise-but-the-law-is-lagging-a-long-way-behind-185510" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Technology

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Queen’s private jet forced to abort landing

<p dir="ltr">A plane carrying Queen Elizabeth II was forced to abandon its initial landing due to severe weather conditions.</p> <p dir="ltr">The pilot was due to land at RAF Northolt, about 20km from Windsor Castle, after leaving Aberdeen but was unable to because of a severe electrical storm, rain and hail.</p> <p dir="ltr">The plane remained in the air for an extra 15 minutes before the pilot successfully pulled off a second attempt at landing.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 96-year-old monarch was then taken to Windsor Castle to prepare for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations that will run until June 5.</p> <p dir="ltr">Revellers have already begun camping outside the castle hoping to get a glimpse of the royals during the exciting days ahead.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Platinum Jubilee will kick off with Trooping the Colour Parade on Thursday.</p> <p dir="ltr">It remains unclear how many events the Queen will attend due to her mobility issues, with the Palace no longer announcing whether she will attend an event in person until the day.</p> <p dir="ltr">Instead, it is assumed that her son Prince Charles, 73, will take her place as he has been doing for quite some time.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Terrifying final moments of crashed passenger jet emerge

<p dir="ltr">Less than a minute of flight data has stumped aviation experts who have been trying to retrace the last minutes of the China Eastern airlines MU5735 flight before it crashed.</p> <p dir="ltr">The passenger airplane departed from Kunming at 1pm local time (4pm AEDT) on Monday, with 123 passengers and nine crew onboard.</p> <p dir="ltr">Though it had an expected arrival time of 3.05pm in Guangzhou, the Boeing 737 plane crashed at approximately 2.20pm local time over Wuzhou city, nose diving into a hill and erupting in flames.</p> <p dir="ltr">After analysing the plane’s flight data taken from its computers and sensors, FlightRadar24 was able to show the plane stabilising during the stable auto-pilot section of the trip.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-1d5c0fa6-7fff-7d49-b4d7-98c7f2b66247"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">The flight path monitoring then abruptly drops, the vertical rate increases again, and the aircraft dramatically drops a second time - correlating with a reported altitude drop from 29,100 feet to 9075 feet in two minutes and 15 seconds, 10-20 seconds of stabilising, and another drop.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/03/graph.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="768" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: FlightRadar24</em></p> <p dir="ltr">No more data was recorded from 2.22pm onwards, when the plane was recorded as travelling at 3225 feet.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, the drop and brief stabilisation has stumped experts, with NSW-based aviation expert telling <em><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/china-eastern-flight-5735-aviation-experts-call-boeing-737800-flight-pattern-unusual/b080c7bd-563c-4114-940b-3ca9dd20714b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9News</a></em> he found it hard to explain.</p> <p dir="ltr">“It is unlikely, unless it was absolutely catastrophic like the wings falling off, for it to have fallen from the sky in the way that it did,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“This has gone straight down. It’s likely when you go through the causes it has been hit in flight with military ordinance or there’s been a pilot intervention or collision.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Along with the plane’s blackbox, Boeing 777 pilot and aviation blogger Juan Brownes believes there is another piece of evidence that could explain the crash.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Browne claimed that the condition of the plane’s elevator trim jackscrew could help investigators understand how and why the plane was locked in a near-vertical nosedive, explaining that it could only happen if the aircraft’s elevator was locked in a specific position.</p> <p dir="ltr">“There’s really only one thing that can get the aircraft in that vertical descent and keep it there, and that is the elevator or the stabiliser trim,” he told the <em><a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3171336/china-eastern-airlines-flight-mu5735-air-safety-experts-study-video-and?module=lead_hero_story&amp;pgtype=homepage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">South China Morning Post</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c9c65c5e-7fff-9ddc-e9fc-d0fb5cac683d"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">“If you can find where the nut on the jackscrew was located, you can get an idea of what the trim state of the aircraft was on impact.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/03/crash-event.png" alt="" width="979" height="919" /></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: FlightRadar24 (<a href="https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/plane-carrying-133-crashes-in-china-casualties-unknown/news-story/283d107abceae4c132f821d15bf060a3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a>)</em></p> <p dir="ltr">Another aviation expert claimed the pilots would have been powerless to rescue the plane as it plummeted from the sky, explaining that the dramatic drop in altitude would have rendered the passengers and crew unconscious.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, flight commentator Sally Gethin told <em><a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/18014251/china-eastern-airlines-crash-jet-mountain/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Sun</a></em> that flight data may have shown the “10 to 20 second spell where one or more of the pilots regained consciousness and tried to save the plane”.</p> <p dir="ltr">She also said it was “too soon to speculate” on whether the crash could have been caused by a safety issue.</p> <p dir="ltr">Nevertheless, China Eastern Airlines has grounded their fleet of Boeing 737’s, with Ms Gethin suggesting they could be concerned “about the safety of that aircraft”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Other experts have said the crash shouldn’t have occurred when it did, as the autopilot stage is the point when accidents are least likely to occur, and that the Boeing 737 was one of the safest planes ever made.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The 737 NG has been in operation for 25 years and has an excellent safety record,” the director of aviation consultancy firm Cirium told Bloomberg.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I’m not going to speculate on what happened but if the FlightRadar24 logs are accurate, something seems to have happened abruptly and the plane nose dived from cruising altitude.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Graphic footage of the aftermath of the crash has since emerged online, including <a href="https://twitter.com/TheInsiderPaper/status/1505824981950816259" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this clip</a> from Insider Paper on Twitter.</p> <p dir="ltr">State broadcaster China Central Television reported that rescue teams were dispatched to the scene of the crash, while one local villager told a news site the plane had “completely fallen apart”.</p> <p dir="ltr">No survivors have been found as of yet.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-dec1c5d3-7fff-b9cb-2d6d-7f50c103c66d"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: news.com.au</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Meet the teen tracking Russian billionaires’ jets

<p dir="ltr">A 19-year-old who shot to fame for tracking billionaire Elon Musk’s private jet has taken on a <a href="https://happymag.tv/elon-musk-jet-tracker-russian-aircraft/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new target</a>: the aircrafts belonging to Russian billionaires.</p> <p dir="ltr">Jack Sweeney first garnered attention after creating a Twitter account that tracked and updated the world about the movement’s of Musk’s jet.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-d9c397e4-7fff-f046-554d-8756a6158040"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">Now, as Russian billionaires attempt to move their yachts and aircrafts out of Russia to prevent them from being confiscated thanks to widespread sanctions, Sweeney started a new account exposing their movements.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Roman Abramovich's Jet LX-RAY Landed in Ankara, Ankara Province, TR. Apx. flt. time 35 Mins. <a href="https://t.co/8mBVcRf47Q">pic.twitter.com/8mBVcRf47Q</a></p> <p>— Russian Oligarch Jets (@RUOligarchJets) <a href="https://twitter.com/RUOligarchJets/status/1498964543564922882?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">A new Twitter account, called Russian Oligarch Jets, appeared on February 28 and began posting automatic updates about the take-offs and landings of various Russian jets.</p> <p dir="ltr">On March 3, the account shared a list of the oligarchs it is tracking and their planes.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-3fcdaba4-7fff-1865-e4aa-e8f9626c291b">The list includes several belonging to Roman Abrahamovich - a confidant of President Vladimir Putin - and Alisher Usmanov, who has been blacklisted and has his $800 million yacht <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/luxury/russian-oligarch-alisher-usmanov-yacht-seized-germany" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confiscated</a> by German authorities.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">The latest list is below. Trying to stay the most accurate, red removed green added. <a href="https://t.co/WjZV2J9Tib">pic.twitter.com/WjZV2J9Tib</a></p> <p>— Russian Oligarch Jets (@RUOligarchJets) <a href="https://twitter.com/RUOligarchJets/status/1499088188463202306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">When he was still tracking Musk’s jet, Sweeney was offered $5,000 by the tech founder to stop.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-8269dd3d-7fff-40a1-30ec-7f4a0efbe011"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">However, Sweeney said the sum wouldn’t be enough to replace “the enjoyment factor” and instead asked for an internship.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">This account has every right to post jet whereabouts, ADS-B data is public, every aircraft in the world is required to have a transponder, Even AF1 (<a href="https://twitter.com/AirForceTrack?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AirForceTrack</a>) Twitter policy states data found on other sites is allowed to be shared here as well. <a href="https://t.co/Wol8O1DRiq">pic.twitter.com/Wol8O1DRiq</a></p> <p>— Elon Musk's Jet (@ElonJet) <a href="https://twitter.com/ElonJet/status/1483587836053909504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">With Musk seeming to disapprove of the counter-offer, Sweeney was soon offered a job with Stratos Jet Charters.</p> <p dir="ltr">Sweeney runs several other accounts that post automatic updates about various aircraft, including <a href="https://twitter.com/PutinJet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Russian VIP jets</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/weatherplanes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">weather planes</a>, and VIP jets belonging to the <a href="https://twitter.com/USAirForceVIP" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US Air Force</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/CelebJets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">celebrities</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c686f9c1-7fff-61aa-3e2f-ccf2c0792aeb"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: @jxck.sweeney (Instagram)</em></p>

Technology

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How does a jet engine work?

<div> <div class="copy"> <p>Modern aviation owes its success to the jet engine. The technology was originally developed in the late 1930s and early 1940s for military use in <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II" target="_blank">World War Two</a>, but it has since powered the passenger aircraft revolution. </p> <p>There are many different variations on the jet engine, but the one most commonly used in passenger planes is called a turbofan (because it contains a turbine and a fan). The description below is about turbofans in particular, but much of it applies more generally.</p> <h2>So how does a jet engine work?</h2> <p>At the simplest level the way a jet engine works can be reduced to just four words: suck, squeeze, bang, blow. Let’s break down what that means. </p> <h3>Suck</h3> <p>When you look at a jet engine, the first thing you will generally notice is that the front is a giant many-bladed fan, inside what is known as the intake. The blades act in exactly the same way the blades on a propeller or desk fan work, sucking air in and shoving it out the other side at high speed. The fan in a jet engine does have a lot more blades than a desk fan, though: often more than 20. Think of the fan as a propeller on steroids. </p> <p>In most modern jet engines, the fan alone can generate up to 90% of the thrust, or ‘pushing power’ of the engine. To find out where the other 10% comes from, we must continue to follow the air on its journey.</p> <h3>Squeeze</h3> <p>We are now leaving pre-jet engine technology behind. Once the fan sucks in the air, some of it is not just forced around the engine, but is funnelled to what is known as the compressor. Inside, air is pushed along by many spinning disks loaded with small blades along a tube that gets smaller and smaller. This quickly squeezes the air, making it much denser, hotter and more explosive when fuel is added.</p> <h3>Bang</h3> <p>For the pyromaniacs out there, there is where the fun begins. Fuel is added to the compressed air, creating a highly volatile mix requiring a simple spark to burn. This is what happens in the combustion chamber, where the fuel/air mix is sprayed and ignited, rapidly expanding the air and generating the rest of the thrust of the engine. </p> <h3>Blow</h3> <p>The rapid expansion of the air during combustion generates a massive amount of pressure that needs to find a way out.  The way out of a jet engine is at the end of another tube full of spinning disks bristling with blades that are spun by the force of the expanding gas. This part is known as the turbine. Once at the end of the turbine, the gases leave the engine at high speed, exerting a force on the engine in the opposite direction. (In accord with Newton’s third law: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.) </p> <p>The ingenious part of the modern jet engine is that the intake fan, compressor, combustion chamber and turbine are linked by a single shaft running along the inside of the engine. So when the expanding gases spin the turbine at the back, it helps spin the fan at the front, which keeps the process going and generates more thrust.</p> <em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></div> <div id="contributors"> <p><em>This article was originally published on <a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/how-does-a-jet-engine-work/" target="_blank">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Jake Port. </em></p> </div> </div>

Technology

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Kylie Minogue jets home to Australia for very special reason

<p><span>Kylie Minogue has flown home from London in the middle of a pandemic for a very special reason – she is getting married!</span><br /><br /><span>The 52-year-old and her longtime partner, Welsh British GQ artistic director Paul Solomons, 46, came into Melbourne recently, secretly undergoing hotel quarantine before being spotted out and about together.</span><br /><br /><span>Her promoter Michael Gudinski said she "is vibing to be home... She's ecstatic to see family and she's going to stay in Australia for a while."</span><br /><br /><span>Paul’s stepmother Gloria told the UK Daily Mail "she is very nice. I'm thrilled they're engaged. It's very exciting. But I'm sorry, I can't tell you any more because I've been told not to. I respect my son and Kylie too much."</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7839907/kylie-minpgue-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/d52e9c4bb729432d9b5a8ff48957ec37" /><br /><br /><span>While Kylie has denied the report multiple times, insiders tell reporters it's "simply because she wanted to keep her secret to just family for a little while longer."</span><br /><br /><span>However fans have found it hard to believe there could be any other reason after Dannii was spotted leaving a designer couture with a large dress bag.</span><br /><br /><span>"There's no way Kylie would get married without Dannii by her side," the source said.</span><br /><br /><span>“Those two have been thick as thieves since they were kids and she's a shoo-in for maid of honour."</span><br /><br /><span>The source went on to say, "I heard Kylie wanted a really low-key wedding once she realised Paul was the one. But now she's back in Melbourne, plans are snowballing a bit."</span><br /><br /><span>"She's totally caught up in the moment and thrilled to be home. Paul is determined to give her the wedding of her dreams, whether it's intimate and just family or the who's who of Australian society."</span></p>

Relationships

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Qantas lands historic non-stop flight from London to Sydney

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Qantas has done the unthinkable and touched down in Sydney after departing from London on a shocking 20-hour flight.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The journey was 17,800 kilometres long and this means that Qantas have successfully landed its second ultra-long-haul research flight as a part of Project Sunrise.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s the second time the route has been flown by a commercial airline, as the first time was back in 1989.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Project Sunrise is studying ways to combat jetlag for those on board and the flight carried just 52 passengers and crew.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s not the first test flight that Qantas has done, as they did another non-stop flight trial that connected New York and Sydney last month.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite the London-Sydney flight being 1500 kilometres further than New York-Sydney, it takes a shorter journey due to tailwinds.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said that Qantas wants to make the non-stop journeys a reality within the next few years.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We know that travellers want room to move on these direct flights, and the exercises we encouraged on the first research flight seemed to work really well,” he said to </span><em><a href="https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-advice/flights/qantas-to-add-move-and-stretch-zones-to-ultralong-haul-flights/news-story/b8359f1b6cb804809567ed253fd0578a"><span style="font-weight: 400;">news.com.au</span></a></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“So, we’re definitely looking to incorporate on-board stretching zones and even some simple modifications like overhead handles to encourage low impact exercises.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Joyce also mentioned that the non-stop Perth to London flight has boosted confidence in the longer proposed journeys.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It had the highest customer satisfaction rating after a year of any route on our network, and it’s been the most successful launch of a new route,” he said.</span></p>

Domestic Travel

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Natural therapies for jet lag

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jet lag occurs when our body clock ‘lags’ behind (or in front) of local time. Symptoms of jet lag include; fatigue, sleepiness during the day, trouble concentrating, sluggishness, clumsiness and generally feeling less than fabulous. Jet lag is made worse by travel fatigue. Sitting down for hours in small seats, squished side-by-side like sardines in a can, our muscles are bound to cramp and tire. Even sardines get to lie down.</span></p> <p><strong>Reducing Jet lag</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The trick is you set your watch to the local time of your destination. This means that you try to sleep when it is night-time at your destination, and eat at your destination’s meal times. Speaking of eating, it is best to eat lightly, so you don’t feel like a stuffed trout – salads and fruit, instead of sugar and starch. The air circulating in planes is as dry as a chip and dehydration adds to jet lag, also triggering sinusitis, headaches and blotchy skin. Aim to drink one glass of water an hour while on the plane. And before you take-off make sure you are fully hydrated (this does not mean ‘tanked’) for the 24 hours prior to take off, drinking at least 2 litres of water.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The downside to drinking all this water is the need to use the bathroom frequently, which can be inconvenient when you are in the middle seat. However, the trip to the loo can double as ‘exercise’. We need to exercise to prevent swelling of the ankles and legs, and to prevent deep vein thrombosis, a potentially fatal condition that comes from being cramped in a confined space for hours. Why not make the exercise fun? If you were good at hurdles at school, use the food carts in the aisles to practice your jumping skills – the hosties won’t mind a bit. More sedate exercise involves circling your feet and ankles, hands and wrists, lifting each thigh for twenty seconds, while pulling in your tummy. Looks odd, but works a treat.</span></p> <p><strong>Other tips:</strong></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Arnica, a homoeopathic remedy, is terrific for jet lag. Take a dose every couple of hours of the flight, and for a day after you arrive.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you are an anxious flyer, take a dose of Rescue Remedy before and during the flight. Kava is also excellent for creating calm.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Take Ginseng and a B complex in the ‘morning’ to give you energy and Valerian and Passionflower at ‘night’ to help you sleep.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The herb Vitex agnus castus (Chaste tree) is thought to improve melatonin levels. Melatonin is the hormone that helps regulate our circadian rhythm. Take a dose with each meal.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">When you arrive, if it is night-time try to sleep or do relaxing things like a hot bath with lavender oil. If it is day-time spend some time outside in the sunshine to adapt to the new time zone.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you have the time, try to break up your journey with overnight stops. This will greatly reduce jet lag and your bank balance.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Travel first class. French champagne is well known to prevent jet lag and travel fatigue. When sleepy, snuggle in between those crisp white sheets and remember your earplugs to help to reduce the bleating sounds from cattle class.</span></li> </ul> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Written by Mim Beim. Republished with permission of </span><a href="https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/health/natural-therapies-for-jet-lag.aspx"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Wyza.com.au.</span></a></em></p>

Travel Tips

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How you can overcome jet lag

<p>Long flights across many time zones often leave us feeling fatigued, sleepy, irritable and generally out of sorts. And it’s not just because of poor sleep on the plane and dehydration from the altitude – the feelings persist for several days.</p> <p>Jet lag is caused by our 24-hour body clock lagging behind the rapid change of clock time over the flight. Our body clock has a strong effect on the times across the day we feel alert and when we feel sleepy. The body clock consists of our <a href="https://theconversation.com/keeping-time-how-our-circadian-rhythms-drive-us-17">circadian rhythms</a>.</p> <p>For a person who regularly sleeps from 11pm to 7am, all of our <a href="https://theconversation.com/forget-bob-geldof-this-is-why-you-dont-like-mondays-828">circadian rhythms</a> will become aligned to ensure best sleep during those times. In the middle of the sleep period, around 4am, the body drops to its lowest body temperature (known as Tmin). This is also the time when melatonin hormone secretion is highest.</p> <p>The alignment of these rhythms is not caused directly by the timing of our sleep period, but indirectly by the timing of darkness during sleep and visual light stimulation when we are awake.</p> <p>Once the body clock becomes stabilised, it is resistant to change. So, after less than a day in the air, our body clock is still on home time when we arrive at our destination. This is where the problem arises.</p> <p><strong>Flying westward</strong></p> <p>Take the example of flying from the Sydney to London. At this time of year, there is a nine hour time zone difference between the two cities. If you arrive in London at 7am in the morning, your body clock will be telling you it’s 4pm.</p> <p>By 1pm London time, you’re likely to want to take a nap. But try not to fall into a deep sleep; your body will be telling you it’s 10pm so you’ll have to resist the urge to sleep through until 7am your body clock time. This, of course, would mean waking up at 10pm London time ready to start your “day”.</p> <p>If you manage to stay awake until early evening, you will still be woken up early the next morning by your early timed body clock and early “wake-up zone”, making you feel tired the next day. Until you can shift the timing of your body clock later by about eight to nine hours, your jet lag will continue to cause extreme tiredness in the late afternoon and disturbed sleep at night.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/47360/original/ctzmkb33-1398833045.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /> <span class="caption">Lowest body temperature shifts from 4am Australian time to 7pm UK time (orange arrow pointed to the left). She must now delay her body clock by nine hours (bottom orange arrow pointed to right).</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Leon Lack/The Conversation</span></span></p> <p><strong>Resetting your body clock</strong></p> <p>The good news is you can re-time the body clock. The strongest effect is from appropriately timed visual light stimulation.</p> <p>But take care to get the timing right so you move your body clock in the right direction. Light stimulation before your body reaches its lowest body temperature (Tmin), usually about 2 hours before your typical wake-up time, will delay your body clock to a later time. However, light after Tmin will shift your body clock earlier.</p> <p>For a Sydney to London trip, you would need to delay your body clock by about nine hours to most quickly align your body clock to London time. Fortunately, normal daylight can be used as it occurs before Tmin up to about the Tmin time. So spend the day outdoors if possible. Even a cloudy day is better than staying indoors.</p> <p>However, after your body clock has been delayed by a few hours from outdoor light, your Tmin will now have moved “out of reach” of the delaying effect of daylight, since only light administered close to Tmin has a strong re-timing effect. Your body clock re-timing may stop well short of the eight to nine hour delay needed for full re-alignment.</p> <p>In that case, it would be useful to use artificial indoor light stimulation in the later evening to complete the jet lag cure.</p> <p><strong>Flying eastward</strong></p> <p>Flying across many time zones in the opposite direction (eastward) can present a more challenging re-adjustment. Flying across seven time zones to the US West coast, for instance, requires an advance of the body clock (re-timed earlier).</p> <p>This is the same type of change needed when we <a href="https://theconversation.com/spring-forward-fall-back-how-daylight-saving-affects-our-sleep-25025">go onto daylight savings time</a> in the spring. That causes some disruption of sleep and daytime alertness for a few days in many people. Now multiply that change by seven times and it will give you some perspective on this jet lag disruption.</p> <p>Upon arriving at your US West Coast destination, your body clock timing will be seven hours too late. The time of your Tmin may be as late as 11am instead of 4am. Your body won’t be ready for sleep until the wee hours of the morning and it will want to sleep most of the day away (an extreme example of the <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07448481.1986.9938970">delayed sleep pattern</a> of many adolescents).</p> <p>Again, light can be used to re-time your internal clock. To maximise the re-timing effect you should avoid very early bright light up until about 10am because being before your Tmin it might shift your clock in the wrong delay direction. Instead you should get bright light preferably for several hours starting around 10am.</p> <p>Then, as your body clock becomes timed earlier the beginning of the light stimulation can start earlier (8-9am) to complete the re-alignment job.</p> <p><strong>Overcoming jet lag</strong></p> <p>One way to reduce the time taken to overcome jet lag in your destination is to do some re-adjustment of your sleep period and light exposure before leaving on your trip. <a href="http://re-timer.com/product/jet-lag-calculator/">Jet lag calculators</a> can work out the specific times for your light exposure before and after the trip.</p> <p>Taking <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12076414">melatonin</a> can also assist this re-timing process: a low-dose (0.5-1mg) short-acting preparation (available over-the-counter in the US or by doctor’s prescription in Australia) taken at the desired bedtime in your destination. In conjunction with appropriately timed bright light, melatonin can greatly reduce the duration of your jet lag.</p> <p>But should you even attempt to re-time your body clock? That depends on how long you’re staying in the new time zone. If your stay is short (one to three days), it may be less disruptive to not go through any re-adjustment but simply keep your body clock on “home” time. That way you also avoid re-adjusting again when flying home. Most airline flight crew follow this rule.</p> <p>But if your stay overseas is going to be at least a week and if you want it to be more pleasurable, you can minimise jet lag by appropriately timed light stimulation and melatonin.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/25616/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>Written by <span>Leon Lack, Professor of Psychology, Flinders University</span>. Republished with permission of </em><a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-jet-lag-and-how-can-you-overcome-it-25616" target="_blank"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>. </em></p>

International Travel

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Piers Morgan slams Prince Harry as “hypocrite” over private jet use

<p><span>Piers Morgan has slammed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as “hypocrites” after the prince defended their use of private jets.</span></p> <p><span>The prince and his wife Meghan have faced criticism after media reports emerged that they <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-49567157">flew privately four times in 11 days this summer</a>.</span></p> <p><span>Prince Harry said “we can all do better” with sustainable travel at a launch of eco-tourism project in Amsterdam on Tuesday.</span></p> <p><span>“I came here by commercial. I spend 99 per cent of my life travelling the world by commercial,” he said.</span></p> <p><span>“Occasionally there needs to be an opportunity based on a unique circumstance to ensure that my family are safe – it’s generally as simple as that.”</span></p> <p><span>Morgan accused the prince of making false statements to defend his travel practices, saying that he has flown on private jets for the majority of his known trips since his wedding to Meghan in May 2018. </span></p> <p><span>“When he was pressed to explain why he uses fuel-guzzling private jets all the time if he cares so much about the environment, Harry point blank lied,” Morgan wrote on his <em><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7426913/Hypocrite-Harry-needs-high-horse-stop-preaching-say-not-do.html">Daily Mail</a> </em>column. </span></p> <p><span>Morgan also said the prince’s safety concerns are “completely bogus” as he noted how Prince William and the late Princess Diana travelled with commercial airlines. </span></p> <p><span>“Did you really accept a free ride on Elton John’s private plane to the South of France last month because you were worried about the safety of your family, or because you just fancied a more luxurious mode of travel?” Morgan wrote.</span></p> <p><span>The TV host argued that the Duke is “fast becoming Hypocrite Harry”.</span></p> <p><span>He wrote, “They want to be the first ‘woke’ royals – using their status as a platform to regularly dictate to us how we should live our lives, whether it’s demanding we stop using social media so much or instructing us to curb our flying – as they themselves bombard us with endless social media posts, and use private jets like taxis.”</span></p> <p><span>Speaking on <em><a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/9858855/piers-morgan-slams-meghan-markle-prince-harry-defiant-rant/">Good Morning Britain</a> </em>Wednesday morning, Morgan said of the Sussexes: “Nobody wants to hate these two, but they are making themselves look like rank hypocrites and you can’t as a Royal do that.”</span></p> <p><span>A <a href="https://www.royal.uk/sites/default/files/media/final_sovereign_grant_for_website.pdf">sovereign grant report</a> published in June showed that the royal’s household carbon emissions almost doubled last year due to business travel.</span></p>

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