Supersonic

A Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber crashed in Siberia’s Irkutsk region during a training flight, but all four crew members had managed to safely eject. The Soviet-era supersonic bomber has been used by Russia in combat operations in Syria and Ukraine.

FLIGHTS to New York could eventually take the same amount of time as it does to fly to Tenerife – and passengers might be onboard sooner than you think.

X-59 QueSST, nicknamed the “Son of Concorde” has been developed by NASA to travel as much as 300mph faster than current commercial flights.

At the speed of over 900mph, the aircraft could travel from London to New York in 3hr45 – far less than it does to get to some of the Spanish islands.

Currently, flights from the UK to New York take around 7hr30, on average.

With the jet it could be under four hours which is even quicker than a flight to Tenerife at 4hr30.

Most commercial flights currently operate at around 600mph but the aircraft is set to conduct test flights where it will reach supersonic speeds of 630mph at 43,000ft for the first time.

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After that, NASA said that “mission conditions” will follow where the jet will go even faster.

If successful, it is hoped that supersonic flights could launch by 2029.

Don’t worry about hearing a sonic boom either – despite the sound barrier sitting at 660mph, the aircraft have been designed to avoid this.

Instead it will create a sonic “thump”, which is “about as loud as a car door closing”.

Up until now, NASA has been conducting tests in wind tunnels or in the skies but at slower speeds.

The jet is dubbed the ‘Son of Concorde’ as Concorde was the world’s very first supersonic airliner that first flew passengers in 1976.

Concorde’s fastest recorded flight was on February 7, 1996, when British Airways flew Concorde from New York’s JFK airport to London Heathrow in two hours, 52 minutes, and 59 seconds.

Around 20 Concordes were created, but the fleet was grounded in 2003.

This was three years after the crash of an Air France flight, in which all passengers and crew were killed.

Low passenger numbers and high costs were also cited as reasons for the ending of Concorde.

When Concordes were flying they would often break the sound barrier, causing the shaking of windows and creating a loud noise that replicated thunder when passing overhead.

Fancy seeing a real Concorde plane? You can see retired ones at Manchester Airport, Aerospace Bristol or Brooklands Museum in Surrey.

DYSON has brought out the latest new hairdryer to revolutionise the market – and it’s perfect for travellers.

But what is it really like to use? I tested it out on a recent holiday abroad to see if it’s really worth the hype.

Dyson Supersonic Travel Hair Dryer, £249 (with free £45 travel bag)

The new Dyson hairdryer is 25 per cent lighter, weighing just 0.33 kg (331 grams) compared to as much as 0.82 kg of the larger hairdryers.

As someone with very thick and very long hair, drying my own can be extremely laborious and time consuming.

So where better to try out the new travel version of Dyson’s much-loved hairdryer on a recent trip abroad?

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First up I was impressed how small it was to fit in my suitcase, being not much bigger than a water bottle.

It is 32 per cent smaller than its standard hairdryer, being just 22cm compared to 28cm in length.

It’s also light, with a shorter 2m cord – meaning it kept my luggage weight low, as well as the added benefit of less arm ache when drying my hair.

Another tick in its favour is that it’s voltage automatically adapts to whichever country you are in, so it works in full no matter where you are.

But I was insanely impressed with how fast it dried my hair.

There are three different heats – low, medium and high – and two speed settings.

I tested it out on my just-out-the-shower hair meaning it was soaking wet.

Usually I have to let this dry for at least 20 minutes before even attempting to dry it.

And the Dyson on its hottest setting dried my hair almost completely in about three minutes.

Another two and it would definitely have been fully dry.

it also comes with a detachable styling concentrator which – very satisfyingly – clips on by magnet.

It made my hair feel much softer than I’d expected (often feeling pretty ratty and dry using the budget hotel hairdryers).

I didn’t believe a hair dryer could actually dry hair that quickly, and while it might be a bit crazy to call it life changing, it’s something I’ve been raving about my friends to for weeks since.

It is also cheaper than the current full size Dyson hairdryer at £399, or the original at £279.

Dyson Supersonic Travel Hair Dryer, £249

It currently comes in “ceramic pink” colour, with a complimentary £45 travel bag if you buy directly with Dyson.

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