All posts tagged: flying

After WWII, flying saucer-shaped houses almost filled American suburbs

After WWII, flying saucer-shaped houses almost filled American suburbs

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time. Tucked into a corner of the cavernous Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, just outside Detroit, is a structure that looks like a cross between a Mongolian yurt and a flying saucer. All gleaming aluminum on the outside, on the inside it’s decorated like the set of The Dick Van Dyke Show, complete with a functional dinette set, midcentury modern living room furniture, and a chrome-clad fireplace. This is the Dymaxion House, and once upon a time it promised to solve a nationwide housing crisis, offering young families two bedrooms, two full baths, and a suite of modern conveniences for the low, low price of $6,500 (about $110,000 today). “Newest answer to housing shortage is round, shiny, hangs on a mast and is …

‘Flying has steadily become ever more unpleasant’: Readers share their air travel horror stories

‘Flying has steadily become ever more unpleasant’: Readers share their air travel horror stories

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the Travel Insider newsletter for tips, deals, and inspiration from our global travel editor Get inspired with our free Travel Insider newsletter Get inspired with our free Travel Insider newsletter Independent readers responding to Helen Coffey’s account of returning to air travel after seven years have been sharing plenty of flying horror stories of their own, with many arguing that the experience has become markedly worse in recent years. Cramped seating and shrinking legroom featured heavily. Taller readers described squeezing into economy seats for hours on end, while others recalled paying hundreds of pounds extra for exit-row seats or abandoning long-haul travel altogether because of the discomfort. Many contrasted today’s packed flights with memories of roomier cabins, quieter airports and half-empty 747s. Readers also recounted frustrating experiences on the ground, from lengthy check-in queues and overcrowded terminals to exhausting early-morning departures and increasingly stressful airport journeys. For many, however, the biggest problem was not the airlines but other passengers. Commenters complained about noisy travellers, poor hygiene, loud phone use, drunken behaviour and what they …

So THAT’s Why Plane Wheels Aren’t Filled With Regular Air

So THAT’s Why Plane Wheels Aren’t Filled With Regular Air

Published by Sam Flores

The closer you look at a plane, the more clever design details – like that little black triangle that helps airline staff to get the clearest possible view of the wings – you might notice. But not even the keenest eye would catch another of the vehicles’ smart adaptations: the gas that goes into their tyres. Since 1988, the Civil Aviation Authority has said that brake wheels on most commercial aircraft are “required to have tyres inflated with nitrogen, or other suitable inert gas”. Why do most plane tyres use nitrogen? Speaking to HuffPost UK, Stuart Algar, Head of Airworthiness at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “Nitrogen is better than air for a number of reasons. It is an inert, non-reactive, non-flammable gas.” Inert gases are stable and tend not to react to other chemicals under normal conditions. Nitrogen isn’t combustible either, meaning it won’t burst into flames if one of the plane’s tyres bursts when leaving, or landing on, the ground. Oxygen, however, which is present in regular air, makes everything around it …

Velociraptor’s cousin flew like a flying squirrel

Velociraptor’s cousin flew like a flying squirrel

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time. The Changma Basin in northwest China’s Gansu province is famous for its many ancient bird fossils. Or, at least, pieces of fossils. Paleontologists have documented over 100 prehistoric avian dinosaur remains buried across the region, many resembling the digestive pellets regurgitated by owls living today. For years, researchers suspected that a similar predator was responsible for the fossil fragments, but lacked a convincing candidate. Experts now have a plausible suspect. According to a study published today in the Annals of Carnegie Museum, a cousin of the fearsome Velociraptor stalked the Changma Basin around 120 million years ago. But with its long feathers and four “wings,” Jian changmaensis didn’t ambush its prey from high in the air like a falcon. Instead, it more likely …

All 19 UK And EU Airports Affected By Ryanair Flight Cuts

All 19 UK And EU Airports Affected By Ryanair Flight Cuts

Published by Sam Flores

Though Ryanair has recently launched a range of new routes and bases, including Trapani, Rabat, and Tirana, they’ve cut some flights too. That includes reduced capacity at Athens, Chania, and Heraklion Greek airports, as well as cutting their Thessaloniki base altogether. The Mirror reported that the airline has “slashed” flights in multiple EU and UK airports ahead of their 2026 summer schedule, too. That includes locations like Malaga, Birmingham, and Dublin. All 19 EU and UK airports affected by Ryanair flight cuts Per the Mirror, these include: United Kingdom London Stansted Manchester Ireland Germany Berlin Brandenburg Cologne Bonn Hamburg Italy Portugal Belgium France Poland Hungary Romania Bulgaria Spain Travellers advised to check schedules Passengers flying to or from these destinations are advised to check their bookings before flying to ensure they’re still going ahead. Why are these cuts taking place? The Mirror claimed these are part of an attempt to streamline profits as jet fuel prices soar. Rising costs have led to cancellations and suspensions for airlines like: KLM Air Canada Asiana Airlines Delta Airlines …

Take it from me, after seven years flight-free – flying has got so much worse

Take it from me, after seven years flight-free – flying has got so much worse

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Somewhere between the 90-minute check-in queue in Tokyo, the two-hour connecting flight to Seoul, the hour-long wait for security and the 14 hours’ airborne from the South Korean capital to London Heathrow, I really started to question my life choices. This, my recent journey home after a month spent travelling through Australia, New Zealand and Japan, was hellish enough to almost negate the enjoyment of the four weeks preceding it. It was certainly unpleasant enough to put me off flying for the remainder of my natural life. That first decades-long queue to check my suitcase took place in the stiflingly warm terminal of Tokyo’s Narita airport at 1am. I’d prioritised price over comfort when booking the return journey, a decision I now appeared to …

Is My UK Passport Valid For EU Travel? 10-Year Rule Check

Is My UK Passport Valid For EU Travel? 10-Year Rule Check

Published by Sam Flores

The EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) rules recently came into force, which left some UK fliers queueing for hours and even missing flights amidst airport chaos. This is meant to lead into the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), which will mean non-EU nationals hoping for a short stay in Schengen countries will have to apply to do so online. But there’s a lesser-known rule already in place that could affect UK passengers flying abroad, which Nick Caunter, the managing director of Airport Parking and Hotels, dubbed the ’10-year passport rule’. What is the 10-year passport rule? To travel to the EU and Schengen countries, UK fliers’ passports need to be under 10 years old at the time of arrival. This change came about after Brexit. And UK passports need to have at least three months remaining before they expire while travelling to these countries, too. If your passport was issued after 2018, it won’t stay valid for more than 10 years anyway, the Post Office explained. They’re usually valid for a decade exactly, meaning …

U.S. passengers flying from Ebola-affected countries rerouted Virginia, Texas and Georgia : NPR

U.S. passengers flying from Ebola-affected countries rerouted Virginia, Texas and Georgia : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

As travelers entered the Entebbe International Airport in Uganda on May 21, they were screened with a thermal camera that detects their temperature. Pictured at bottom is reporter Michal Ruprecht. Michal Ruprecht for NPR hide caption toggle caption Michal Ruprecht for NPR Early Thursday morning, Michal Ruprecht went to Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport at 2AM to catch a flight. At the airline counter, he told the agent that he was headed to Michigan. “He did this sort of double look and asked me, was I sure I was going to Michigan?” he recalls. Ruprecht, a medical student and freelance reporter, was returning home after a month-long reporting trip to Uganda, where he was working on stories for NPR. The man at the counter showed Ruprecht a memo from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. “He tells me that I have to arrive at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD),” Ruprecht says, “The first thing that was going through my head was denial. I wasn’t sure if this was real.” Ruprecht was one of the first passengers to …

POLL: Should foreign flags be banned from flying over public buildings? | Politics | News

POLL: Should foreign flags be banned from flying over public buildings? | Politics | News

Published by Sam Flores

Nigel Farage has reignited a fierce political row after vowing to ban foreign flags from flying above public buildings if Reform UK takes power. Now Express.co.uk readers are now being asked whether councils and other public bodies should only be allowed to fly British flags — or whether foreign flags should remain as symbols of solidarity and international support. The debate intensified after Reform councillors in Essex removed the Ukrainian flag from County Council headquarters, prompting criticism from James Cleverly. The former Home Secretary wrote on X: “One of the first decisions made by Essex Reform was to remove the Ukrainian flag from County Council HQ. Let that sink in.” Should foreign flags be banned from flying over public buildings? Vote in our poll and join the debate in the comments. Mr Farage hit back by declaring: “Under Reform there will be no foreign flags flown above our public buildings.” Reform has already introduced flag restrictions in councils it controls, limiting displays to the Union Jack, the St George’s Cross and county flags. Party chairman …

Baby name experts explain the trends that sent one name flying into the top 10 for the first time

Baby name experts explain the trends that sent one name flying into the top 10 for the first time

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more American parents often play it safe when it comes to choosing the moniker that their child will endure for the rest of their life, according to the just-released list of the 1,000 most popular baby names in 2025 from the U.S. Social Security Administration. The top 10 girls’ and boys’ names have barely shifted in the past decade: Olivia has been the number one choice for girls since 2019, while Liam has reigned champion on the boys’ list since 2017. But there is one perhaps surprising contender that just quietly crept into the top 10 ranking last year: Eliana. The pretty name — if this author called Ellie may say so herself — means “my God has answered” in Hebrew and is sometimes used …