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One dead, five injured after rock star's private jet crashes on runway

<p>A private jet owned by <span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">Vince Neil, </span><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">the lead singer of legendary rock band Motley Crue, has crashed on the runway at Scottsdale Municipal Airport in Arizona, leaving one person dead and several others injured.</span></p> <p>The Learjet 35A veered off the runway upon landing at approximately 2:45pm local time on Monday, colliding with a parked Gulfstream G200 business jet. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the crash.</p> <p>Neil, 64, was not on board at the time of the accident. However, his girlfriend, Rain Andreani, and her friend, Ashley, were both passengers. Both women were hospitalised, with Andreani reportedly suffering five broken ribs. Their pet dogs, also on board, were unharmed.</p> <p>A statement from Neil’s legal representatives confirmed the details of the incident, and said that their “thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved, and (Neil) is grateful for the critical aid of all first responders assisting today.” </p> <p>Scottsdale Fire Department officials said five people were involved in the crash, with two critically injured and another in stable condition. One passenger remained trapped in the wreckage as rescue crews worked to extract them.</p> <p>The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is leading an investigation into the crash. Airport officials stated that a failure in one of the Learjet’s landing gears may have contributed to the accident, and the airport remains temporarily closed while authorities assess the scene.</p> <p>Images circulating on social media show the wreckage of both aircraft on the tarmac, with emergency responders at the site. Further details, including the identity of the deceased, remain undisclosed as investigations continue.</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram | TikTok</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Supersonic jets are making a comeback – but despite the hype, don’t expect to book yet

<div class="theconversation-article-body"> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/chris-james-1178340">Chris James</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em></p> <p>Late last week, American company Boom Supersonic flew faster than the speed of sound with its XB-1 supersonic demonstrator aircraft. It’s now the first <a href="https://boomsupersonic.com/press-release/boom-supersonic-achieves-supersonic-flight">piloted non-military aircraft to break the sound barrier</a> since the Concorde was retired from service in 2003.</p> <p>It’s the first step in Boom’s ambitious goal to have <a href="https://boomsupersonic.com/united">supersonic airliners carry passengers by 2029</a>.</p> <p>But what exactly is supersonic travel? There are good reasons why it’s not more common, despite the hype.</p> <h2>What is supersonic flight?</h2> <p>The Mach number is defined as a plane’s speed divided by the speed that sound waves move through the air. To “break the sound barrier” means to fly faster than the speed of sound, with Mach numbers greater than 1.</p> <p>The Mach number is an important ratio: as a plane flies, it disturbs the air in front of it. These disturbances move at the speed of sound. In supersonic flight these disturbances combine to form shock waves around the vehicle.</p> <p>When people say you can see a fighter jet before you hear it, they’re referring to supersonic flight: <a href="https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/top-10-worlds-fastest-fighter-jets">fighter jets can travel at around Mach 2</a>.</p> <p>The sound from the fighter jet is trapped inside its shock wave; until the shock wave moves to your position on the ground, you won’t hear the plane.</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/646302/original/file-20250202-15-d01bme.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/646302/original/file-20250202-15-d01bme.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/646302/original/file-20250202-15-d01bme.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=360&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646302/original/file-20250202-15-d01bme.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=360&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646302/original/file-20250202-15-d01bme.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=360&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646302/original/file-20250202-15-d01bme.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=452&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646302/original/file-20250202-15-d01bme.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=452&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646302/original/file-20250202-15-d01bme.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=452&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Illustration of how disturbances propagate in subsonic, Mach 1, and supersonic flow.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Transonico-en.svg">Chabacano/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure> <h2>The allure of supersonic travel</h2> <p>For efficiency reasons, most passenger jets cruise slightly slower than the speed of sound, at around Mach 0.8 (this is subsonic flight).</p> <p>Boom plans to build <a href="https://boomsupersonic.com/overture">an airliner called Overture</a> that can fly at Mach 1.7. Flying supersonically can drastically decrease flight times. The company claims a trip <a href="https://boomsupersonic.com/flyby/summer-travel-trends-future-travel-onboard-overture">from New York to Rome</a> on Overture could take just four hours and 40 minutes, instead of eight hours.</p> <p>Boom isn’t the only company working on this lofty goal. American firm Spike Aerospace is also developing a supersonic business jet, <a href="https://www.spikeaerospace.com/spike-s-512-supersonic-diplomat/">with the tagline</a> “delivering the world in half the time”.</p> <p>This is the value proposition of supersonic passenger travel.</p> <p>In limited ways, it did already exist in the 20th century. However, due to timing, bad luck and the laws of physics, it didn’t continue.</p> <h2>Remember the Concorde?</h2> <p>Designs for supersonic airliners began in the mid-20th century, and by the 1970s we had supersonic passenger flight.</p> <p>There was the little-known <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupolev_Tu-144">Russian Tupolev-144</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/Concorde">Concorde</a>, a Franco-British supersonic airliner operated by British Airways and Air France from 1976 to 2003.</p> <p>Concorde had a capacity of <a href="https://www.heritageconcorde.com/concorde-cabin--passenger-experience">up to 128 passengers</a> and cruised at Mach 2. It regularly travelled from London to New York <a href="https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/what-happened-concordes">in around three hours</a>. The flights were expensive, mainly shuttling business people and the rich and famous.</p> <h2>Why supersonic passenger flight didn’t take off</h2> <p>Concorde was designed in the 1960s when it seemed like supersonic passenger transport was going to be the next big thing.</p> <p>Instead, the Boeing 747 <a href="https://www.boeing.com/commercial/747-8">entered commercial service in 1970</a>. Cheap, large and efficient airliners like it blew Concorde out of the water.</p> <p>Designed to cruise efficiently at supersonic speeds, Concorde was extremely fuel inefficient when taking off and accelerating. Concorde’s expensive, “<a href="https://phys.org/news/2019-03-concorde-technical-feat-financial-fiasco.html">gas guzzling</a>” nature was a complaint levelled against it for most of its lifetime.</p> <p>A catastrophic <a href="https://www.flightglobal.com/safety/tu-144-crash-puzzle-persists-50-years-after-fatal-paris-display/153782.article">1973 Paris air show crash</a> of the competing Russian airliner, Tupolev Tu-144, also shifted public perception on supersonic flight safety at a time when many airlines were considering whether or not to purchase Concordes.</p> <p><a href="https://www.heritageconcorde.com/airframe-detail">Only 20 Concordes were manufactured</a> out of the <a href="https://simpleflying.com/concorde-orders/">planned 100</a>. It is still disputed today whether Concorde <a href="http://www.concordesst.com/faq.html">ever made money for the airlines who operated it</a>.</p> <figure class="align-right zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/646303/original/file-20250202-15-gjm1zn.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/646303/original/file-20250202-15-gjm1zn.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/646303/original/file-20250202-15-gjm1zn.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=600&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646303/original/file-20250202-15-gjm1zn.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=600&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646303/original/file-20250202-15-gjm1zn.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=600&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646303/original/file-20250202-15-gjm1zn.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=754&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646303/original/file-20250202-15-gjm1zn.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=754&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/646303/original/file-20250202-15-gjm1zn.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=754&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Illustration of a shock wave propagating from a supersonic aeroplane and hitting the ground to produce a sonic boom.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Supersonic_shockwave_cone.svg">Cmglee/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure> <h2>Noise is a real problem for supersonic flight</h2> <p>Remember the fighter jets? When a plane travels supersonically, its shock waves propagate to the ground, <a href="https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104540/sonic-boom/">causing loud disturbances called sonic booms</a>. In extreme cases they can shatter windows and damage buildings.</p> <p>In the early 1970s, sonic boom concerns led the United States government to <a href="https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/features/supersonic-travel-dead-on-arrival/">ban supersonic passenger flight over land in the US</a>. This hurt the Concorde’s potential market, hence its only two regular routes were trans-Atlantic flights principally over the water.</p> <p>The Concorde was also a very loud plane at take off, since it needed a lot of thrust to leave the ground.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3x9hO7n5WiA?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">Video footage of the final Concorde takeoff from New York’s JFK airport.</span></figcaption></figure> <h2>The future of supersonic travel</h2> <p>A future for supersonic travel relies on solving some or all of the issues Concorde faced.</p> <p><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/mission/quesst/">NASA and Lockheed Martin’s Quesst project</a> aims to show sonic boom can be dissipated to manageable levels. They plan to fly their X-59 supersonic aircraft over US cities and gauge responses from citizens.</p> <p>Quesst aims to use the geometry of the X-59, with a long elongated nose, to dissipate sonic booms to a weak “thump”, hopefully allowing supersonic airliners to travel over land in the future.</p> <p>Spike Aerospace’s Spike S-512 Diplomat concept also aims to be a <a href="https://www.spikeaerospace.com/quiet-supersonic-flight/">“quiet” supersonic aircraft</a> with a less disruptive sonic boom.</p> <h2>Can Boom surpass Concorde?</h2> <p>Boom Supersonic don’t plan to fly supersonically over land. Their plan is to fly over land at Mach 0.94, which they claim will allow <a href="https://boomsupersonic.com/overture">20% faster overland travel</a> than standard passenger airliners, even subsonically.</p> <p>They also claim the design of their engines will ensure Overture is <a href="https://boomsupersonic.com/flyby/the-new-sound-of-supersonic-q-a-with-booms-principal-acoustic-engineer">no louder than modern subsonic airliners when it takes off</a>.</p> <p>In terms of gas guzzling, they plan to use up to 100% sustainable aviation fuel to reduce emissions and <a href="https://boomsupersonic.com/press-release/boom-supersonic-and-dimensional-energy-announce-sustainable-aviation-fuel-offtake-agreement">their carbon footprint</a>.</p> <p>Concorde was made of aluminium using design tools available in the 1960s. Modern design methods and modern aerospace materials such as titanium and carbon fibre should also allow Overture and similar craft to weigh much less than Concorde, improving efficiency.</p> <p>While Boom are currently receiving a lot of interest, <a href="https://boomsupersonic.com/overture">with orders from many airlines</a>, Concorde did have similar commitment before it become available. <a href="https://www.heritageconcorde.com/concorde-orders-and-options">Most of it didn’t eventuate</a>.</p> <p>Additionally, Concorde was the product of an analogue era when the idea of flying to London or New York for the day for an important business meeting seemed like a necessary thing. In a world of remote work and video meetings, is there still a need for a supersonic airliner in the 2020s?</p> <p>For now, supersonic airliners like Overture are likely to remain in the realm of the rich and famous, like Concorde did. But with modern technological advances, it will be interesting to see whether supersonic passenger travel once again becomes reality – or even goes mainstream. Only time will tell.<!-- 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/248656/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><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/chris-james-1178340"><em>Chris James</em></a><em>, UQ Amplify Senior Lecturer, Centre for Hypersonics, School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Boom Supersonic </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/supersonic-jets-are-making-a-comeback-but-despite-the-hype-dont-expect-to-book-yet-248656">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

International Travel

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"Unfair" Australia Day ban sparks outrage

<p>A camping area in Bundeena has been slammed for making the "unfair" decision to ban boats and jet skis from Australia Day celebrations, with locals claiming they were left in the dark about the decision. </p> <p>The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service will ban people from releasing their boats and jet skis from the access point at Bonnie Vale over the long weekend - the most popular time of the year to use the facility. </p> <p>The access point will be shut from 9pm on Friday, January 24 to 7am on Tuesday, January 28. </p> <p>Local Andrew Petty said he paid more than $300 for a camping holiday with his family and intended to take his kids fishing, but their plans have been derailed because of the ban. </p> <p>"We have one of the most beautiful waterways for all to use," he said. </p> <p>"We pay our boating licence, registration, fishing licence, national park entry fee, camping fee, and are denied access to the only ramp on that side of the Port Hacking."</p> <p>Petty added that he would have to drive more than an hour away to find another ramp to launch his boat, and believed he was paying the price for irresponsible jet ski users. </p> <p>"Maritime don't have the resources to prevent jet ski hooning so their alternative is to just force close the ramp and hire in traffic cops to police ramp access," he said. </p> <p>He believed that the ban was "unfair" because a lot of the traffic comes from jet ski users coming from the other side of Port Hacking. </p> <p>Another local called the move "another example of a government agency creating a problem instead of looking for more practical solutions." </p> <p>Locals also argued that the boat ramp offered a safe access point for leaving the isolated area in an emergency. </p> <p>The Port Hacking River is known for jet ski infringements in NSW and authorities claim they cause significant traffic congestion on nearby roads when the Royal National Park is full. </p> <p>They also said they hoped the closure would also improve safety for swimmers. </p> <p>"Public safety is always our number one priority and this temporary closure ensures Bonnie Vale remains a safer and more enjoyable space for all visitors over the long weekend," NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Royal area manager Brendon Neilly said.</p> <p>NSW Maritime officer Jay Ruming added that the state had recorded 1,700 jet-ski infringements in the past 12 months.</p> <p>"Our data tells us that jet skis are heavily over-represented in serious injury incidents. People involved in an accident on a jet ski have a 50 per cent likelihood they'll suffer a serious injury," he said. </p> <p><em>Image: Facebook</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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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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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>

Travel Tips

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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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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>

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