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.
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running Game
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing Game
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic Game
Edgar Spence keeps a folded bundle of receipts for meal expenses his family has had to cover out-of-pocket since they were forced out of their home community by wildfires in northern Manitoba.
A man accused in a series of north-central Edmonton arsons is guilty of starting fires that damaged or destroyed several homes in 2020 and 2021, a judge ruled Thursday.
Residents of Ward 8 in Hamilton are likely to be back at the polls once again after city councillors voted Wednesday to hold a byelection there to replace former councillor John-Paul Danko, who was recently elected as a member of parliament.
Work on Windsor's large Banwell Road interchange and corridor construction projects is currently on hold after Butler's gartersnakes were discovered.
Etched on a poster board the size of her body, Mary McPherson held up a pencil-drawn portrait of Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
One of the largest old elm trees in Toronto — possibly in all of southern Ontario — is on its last legs.
It's graduation week for many University of Guelph students, but it's a particularly special day for one 68-year-old whose walk across the convocation stage was 49 years in the making.
Scientists on Prince Edward Island have created a new warning system to help Maritime farmers avoid a costly disease called fusarium head blight, which can decrease grain yields while contaminating the crop with toxins.
An N.W.T. deputy minister says the territorial government is hoping to use federal housing money to clear derelict homes from communities.
WARNING: This article contains graphic details, references sexual assault and may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone impacted by it.
Monique Gordon's second-floor apartment in Rexdale is sweltering hot all year-round — even in the winter.
As Fanshawe works toward reducing its staff by more than a third, the college announced Thursday that 40 jobs have been eliminated through downsizing, early retirements and unfilled vacant positions.