Balloonists safe after scratching transatlantic-crossing bid in Newfoundland
CBC
A British couple's attempt at a transatlantic balloon flight came to a disappointing, but safe, end on Friday morning.
Deborah and Mike Scholes were forced by a technical problem to land after 19 hours of flying, according to a statement issued by their team.
It was a safe, controlled landing, the statement said.
The technical problem would have complicated the Scholes's attempt to fly another 3,220 kilometres to Europe, so they chose to land while over Newfoundland, touching down just south of Meelpaeg Lake in the centre of the island.
According to Bill Whalen, who was the launch director in Sussex, the couple have made it safely to Gander, N.L., home to an international airport.
The couple are "greatly disappointed" not to complete the voyage, the statement said, but consider this just a setback.
The couple from the south of England had begun their balloon adventure Thursday morning, lifting off from Sussex in southern New Brunswick, with the intent of landing somewhere in Spain.
On Thursday morning, they said there was a chance they would not continue the journey across the Atlantic Ocean if they felt there were any problems.
As with any long-distance flight, Deborah said before leaving, there might come a time to decide whether to continue to fly or not, and they planned to make that call before fully venturing over the Atlantic Ocean.
"Your aircraft has to be right," she said, "and I don't know until we take off."
The couple were supposed to set off for Europe in April, bound for France, but they've been faced with a multitude of delays.
The delays ran the gamut from the mundane, such as poor weather, which the province has seen a lot of recently, to the bizarre — French military exercises.
The couple worked with a meteorologist to help time their ocean crossing with favourable conditions.
As their role in health care continues to grow, nurse practitioners across Canada are looking to Alberta, where nurse practitioners recently formed their own union — but on P.E.I., the nurses' union that represents them says it's doing its job.
As the fallout over fallen buildings in Gore Park continues, Hamilton officials will be turning their attention to other properties.
Fire crews responded to a transport truck fire on the Ambassador Bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit.
When the government touts that its auto insurance reforms might curb premiums by $400 come 2027, the ministers and premier don't readily mention what's to come in the three years leading up to that.
Who poses the greater threat to the free speech of Conservative MPs — the Speaker of the House of Commons or the leader of the Conservative Party?
As city council prepares to vote on a temporary shelter village for people experiencing homelessness in Thunder Bay, Ont., opposition is growing among the area's business community.
A Toronto centre for Black art is hosting an exhibition this weekend that exclusively features work by artists from across the African diaspora.
Click on the video player above on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. ET to watch the 2024 Vanier Cup.
This story is part of CBC Health's Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here.
Some Canadian seniors say they're feeling abandoned by the Liberal government's latest inflation relief measure after learning they don't qualify for it.
WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.