Automotive and Aerospace

Please review each article prior to use: grade-level applicability and curricular alignment might not be obvious from the headline alone.

AirScapes After several years of upheaval, economic fortunes are beginning to turn for Thompson’s nickel mine complex.

Trump’s tariff tantrum, geopolitical turmoil could be blessings in disguise for Manitoba’s diversified economy

Conrad Sweatman 18 minute read Preview

Trump’s tariff tantrum, geopolitical turmoil could be blessings in disguise for Manitoba’s diversified economy

Conrad Sweatman 18 minute read Friday, Aug. 28, 2026

It’s early July and Warren Luky’s second last day before he retires as president of United Steelworkers Local 6166. After a career at the bargaining table and in and around mineshafts, Luky speaks candidly as he fires up a barbecue at his Thompson home.

Luky, who represents 472 miners at Vale’s Thompson mining operation along with other northern labourers, is quite aware of the buzzwords currently attached to his trade and the region.

Phrases like “Arctic sovereignty,” “trade diversification,” “Indigenous-led” and “critical minerals” have caught on with politicians of all stripes over the past couple years as federal and provincial governments tout the need for greater Canadian sovereignty, with the push for major infrastructure projects declared a matter of national interest.

In light of the bitter collapse in trade negotiations between Canada and the U.S. on Aug. 21 — a historic blow to cross-border relations — these phrases are bound to become more contagious.

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Friday, Aug. 28, 2026
Volatus Aerospace COO Greg Colacitti inspects a heavy lift drone before a test run on July 13, 2026, in Kleinburg, Ontario. (AP Photo/Kelvin Chan)

Canada is bolstering its defense industry as US relations fray. A boom is on for local contractors

Kelvin Chan, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Canada is bolstering its defense industry as US relations fray. A boom is on for local contractors

Kelvin Chan, The Associated Press 6 minute read Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026

TORONTO (AP) — As Canada moves to reduce its dependence on American military suppliers, the push is on display inside a Toronto garment factory.

Hunched over sewing machines, two workers rapidly stitch together pieces of camouflage-patterned fabric and Velcro strips. In the next room, workers snip stray threads as they inspect the finished product: helmet covers for the Canadian military.

The factory is assembling uniforms for Wuxly, a luxury parka maker that is among a flurry of Canadian companies branching into defense contracting. As Canadian military spending surges, others are developing remote sensors for the country's vast Arctic region, making drones to resupply soldiers, and building autonomous robots.

The boom in the defense sector reflects Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's vow to strengthen the country's economic self-sufficiency amid fraying relations with Washington, including a fresh escalation this week with new rounds of tariffs.

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Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026
A Skyranger R70 drone is seen at a display as people enter the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries annual defence industry trade show CANSEC, in Ottawa, on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Canadian Army looking for surveillance, cargo-drop drone suppliers

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Canadian Army looking for surveillance, cargo-drop drone suppliers

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026

OTTAWA - The federal government has put out a small shopping list for new drones for the Canadian Army, which includes land and aerial drones that can deliver cargo and supply munitions to troops.

It's also looking for aerial surveillance and reconnaissance drones, including some specifically designed to operate in "extreme cold" Arctic environments.

Ottawa has issued a batch of five tenders under the army's Minerva initiative, a program designed to integrate drones into its operations.

“The Canadian Army soldier will face an increasingly complex and dangerous battlespace in the future," one of the drone tenders said.

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Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026
WestJet passengers deplane on the tarmac at Yellowknife Airport on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

WestJet ordered to scrap weight cap on power wheelchairs

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

WestJet ordered to scrap weight cap on power wheelchairs

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Friday, Aug. 21, 2026

WestJet is imposing an “undue barrier” on travellers living with a disability by effectively barring some power wheelchairs from its planes, says Canada’s transport regulator.

In a recent decision, the Canadian Transportation Agency said the country’s second-largest carrier must scrap its 300-pound weight cap on mobility aids before July 2027.

WestJet should use "spreader plates" to better distribute the wheelchair's weight in the cargo hold and arrange alternative travel with other airlines until then, the regulator said.

The case was brought before the transportation agency by Winnipeg resident Steven Fletcher, a former federal minister of state for transport, after he was stopped from flying with his custom wheelchair on a flight between Winnipeg and Toronto early last year.

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Friday, Aug. 21, 2026
FILE - An Amazon company logo marks the facade of a building, March 18, 2022, in Schoenefeld near Berlin. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)

Amazon set to expand drone delivery of lightweight packages to 500 US cities

Josh Funk, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Amazon set to expand drone delivery of lightweight packages to 500 US cities

Josh Funk, The Associated Press 6 minute read Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026

Millions more people may be able to get smaller, lightweight Amazon packages delivered by drones by the end of the year under a plan the company announced Wednesday to expand the airborne shipping to suburban areas in nearly 500 U.S. cities.

Customers could receive the drone deliveries in as fast as 30 minutes, Amazon said in a news release. The drones can carry packages up to 5 pounds.

The plan will intensify the battle between Amazon and Walmart to provide consumers with the fastest delivery times. Both giants rely on a mix of drones and drivers to deliver everything consumers have ordered.

The goal is not necessarily about cutting costs by replacing drivers and trucks — and drones that can only carry one package at a time would have a hard time doing that. But instead, these companies are using drones as one tool to help keep customers happy with quicker deliveries, banking on a faster delivery system attracting more shoppers.

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Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026
This combo made with photos provided by NASA on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, shows before, left, and after images of a fresh crater on the moon created by a collision with a SpaceX rocket. (NASA via AP)

Before-and-after NASA images show crater carved by a SpaceX rocket that slammed into the moon

Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Before-and-after NASA images show crater carved by a SpaceX rocket that slammed into the moon

Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A NASA spacecraft circling the moon is providing the sharpest views yet of the crater carved by a crashing SpaceX rocket.

The space agency released before-and-after photos of the impact area on Tuesday.

The Falcon rocket’s upper stage plowed into the moon at 5,400 mph (8,700 kph) on Aug. 5 after drifting through space for more than a year. It launched a pair of private moon landers with experiments and even a tiny rover in 2025 as part of NASA’s push to commercialize lunar exploration.

Based on these new photos by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, the fresh crater appears to be 60 feet (18 meters) across and less than 10 feet (3 meters) deep, according to scientists.

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Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026
Harmony at the controls of one of two cranes she operates at Western Scrap Metals. (Ruth Bonneville / Free Press)

Trailblazing Western Scrap Metals heavy-equipment operator relishes role at massive crane’s control

David Sanderson 7 minute read Preview

Trailblazing Western Scrap Metals heavy-equipment operator relishes role at massive crane’s control

David Sanderson 7 minute read Friday, Aug. 14, 2026

Less than five per cent of heavy-equipment operators in the country are women but that number is trending upward, according to a study conducted by trade magazine Crane & Hoist Canada.

It was reported that in Ontario roughly eight per cent of jobs in the transport and heavy-equipment field are currently held by women. Furthermore, in 2024 almost 20 per cent of graduates at an Edmonton-based heavy-equipment operator training school were female, the article stated.

That brings us to Harmony Guspodarchuk, the first female crane operator in the 70-year history of Western Scrap Metals, a family-owned business at 18 Sutherland Ave.

Three years ago, Guspodarchuk literally stepped into the driver’s seat of a 27,500-kilogram, Liebherr C 924 Heavy Lift Litronic crane. The 29-year-old hasn’t looked back much since.

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Friday, Aug. 14, 2026
FILE - The Ryanair desk is seen, Aug. 10, 2018, at the Barajas airport in Madrid, Spain. (AP Photo/Paul White, File)

Broken engine parts shattered the Ryanair plane window that a man’s head got sucked into: NTSB

Josh Funk And Rio Yamat, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Broken engine parts shattered the Ryanair plane window that a man’s head got sucked into: NTSB

Josh Funk And Rio Yamat, The Associated Press 5 minute read Friday, Aug. 14, 2026

Broken engine parts shattered a window on a Ryanair flight shortly after takeoff in Greece last month, causing a man’s head to be sucked through the opening before fellow passengers pulled him back inside, U.S. investigators said Thursday.

A fan blade in the Boeing 737-800's right engine broke loose, sending fragments flying out of the engine that broke the window and damaged the fuselage in several other places, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board. Greece turned the investigation over to the U.S. agency under international aviation rules.

The July 10 accident happened after the flight departed the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki. Investigators found bird remains inside the engine, suggesting the plane may have struck birds during takeoff, though they haven't determined what caused the fan blade to break loose.

The 61-year-old passenger suffered neck and shoulder injuries and friction burns.

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Friday, Aug. 14, 2026
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS TetraGen Robotics co-founders (from left) Bhavin Dharia, lead software developer, COO Michael Newman and CEO Matt Khoshdarregi showcase their industrial robot arm.
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Manitoba-made technology earns faith of investors across Canada

Gabrielle Piché 5 minute read Preview
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Manitoba-made technology earns faith of investors across Canada

Gabrielle Piché 5 minute read Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026

Blue light flashed as a robotic arm welded the metal in front of it.

Unlike other robots of its kind, this one uses artificial intelligence. It’s supposed to see and adjust its movements if a part it’s working on doesn’t match the standard piece.

It’s Manitoba-made technology that investors across Canada are betting on. TetraGen Robotics, the technology’s creator, announced it had raised $1.8 million in an oversubscribed seed funding round.

It announced the funding Monday afternoon. Jim Richardson, from the family behind Richardson International, is among the investors listed online.

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Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026
A Porter plane taxis down the runway at the Ottawa International Airport in Ottawa on Wednesday, June 12, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
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Child who prompted Porter Airline flight cancellation not at fault, passenger says

Elissa Mendes, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview
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Child who prompted Porter Airline flight cancellation not at fault, passenger says

Elissa Mendes, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 1, 2026

The child whose refusal to buckle up prompted the cancellation of a Porter Airlines flight last week was "obviously terrified" and should not be blamed, says a passenger who was on the plane bound for Toronto.

The aircraft could not take off from Victoria in what Porter called an unsafe situation, so the crew decided to return to the terminal and have the child and a parent get off the plane. By the time they deboarded, it was too late for the flight to proceed.

Passenger Aryeh Kozuch said he has taken the red-eye flight a dozen times without issue, but as he was closing his eyes in preparation for takeoff last Thursday, he noticed flight attendants walking toward the back of the plane. Then, he heard an overhead announcement reminding passengers that obeying flight attendants' instructions is required by law.

Five minutes later, there was another announcement: Passengers needed to comply with flight attendants' instructions within 60 seconds, or the plane was going back to the gate.

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Tuesday, Sep. 1, 2026
First responders at Highway 110 and Richmond Avenue East in Brandon after the crash that killed Xiaoyun Zhang. (Alex Lambert/The Brandon Sun files)

Trucking operation linked to fatality in Brandon shut down by Alberta government

Malak Abas 5 minute read Preview

Trucking operation linked to fatality in Brandon shut down by Alberta government

Malak Abas 5 minute read Friday, Aug. 7, 2026

The Alberta government has shut down Conquer Transport Inc., the trucking company linked to a crash near Brandon in which a 49-year-old woman, who had the right of way, was killed.

Devin Dreeshen, Alberta’s transport minister, said the province launched an investigation into Conquer Transport after one of its semi-trucks ran a stop sign on May 27, 2026 at Highway 110 at Richmond Avenue East.

The semi hit an SUV driven by Xiaoyun Zhang, a Chinese immigrant who worked at the nearby pork processing plant. She died at the scene and the truck driver, 35-year-old Brijpal Panwar, has been charged with dangerous driving causing death.

“Our investigative team went out and … saw numerous non-compliance issues, whether it was hours of service with their drivers not being recorded properly, vehicle maintenance and inspections being insufficient, their safety program also being insufficient.”

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Friday, Aug. 7, 2026
A Royal Canadian Air Force CC-130H Hercules is on the tarmac of Saskatoon John G. Diefenbaker Airport in Sask., Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu

Old military transport aircraft to get new lease on life as waterbombers

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

Old military transport aircraft to get new lease on life as waterbombers

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Monday, Aug. 10, 2026

OTTAWA - The federal government said Friday it is selling 10 of its used CC-130H Hercules aircraft to B.C.-based aerospace company Coulson Aviation, which will convert them into firefighting aircraft.

They're part of a fleet of 12 retired by the Royal Canadian Air Force back in January. The remaining two Hercs will be put on public display at bases and museums.

Secretary of State for Defence Procurement Stephen Fuhr announced the conditional sale of the recently retired aircraft in Abbotsford, B.C., where an international air show is being held.

Fuhr called the sale a "gold standard" divestment project that will give the military assets a new lease on life.

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Monday, Aug. 10, 2026
This image was captured at 6:41 p.m. EDT, on April 6, 2026, just three minutes before the Orion spacecraft and its crew went behind the Moon and lost contact with Earth for 40 minutes before emerging on the other side. (NASA)
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Scientists are certain a wayward SpaceX rocket slammed into the moon as predicted

Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview
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Scientists are certain a wayward SpaceX rocket slammed into the moon as predicted

Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press 5 minute read Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A SpaceX rocket that launched a pair of lunar landers slammed into the moon as predicted on Wednesday after drifting off course for the past year, scientists reported.

Although no one observed the actual 5,400-mph (8,700-kph) collision, a telescope in Chile spotted what astronomers have identified as the debris plume resulting from the crash. Space tracking experts said it was inevitable that the leftover rocket segment plowed into the moon.

It’s the latest instance of lunar litter, a problem that many fear could worsen as the U.S. and China race to put astronauts on the moon. In 2022, a Chinese rocket unintentionally hit the moon following a lunar mission, and many more stray rocket pieces likely struck the moon in decades past without scientists' knowledge.

SpaceX's Julianna Scheiman said this week that the company is working with NASA to avoid future wrecks, stressing that this projected crash was not deliberate. A combination of solar activity and gravity accidentally put it on a collision course with the moon, she said.

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Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026
Telesat CEO Dan Goldberg speaks at a press conference in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 24, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
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Ottawa awards Telesat $2.3B Arctic military satellite contract

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview
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Ottawa awards Telesat $2.3B Arctic military satellite contract

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026

OTTAWA - A Canadian telecommunications firm has signed a deal with the federal government worth $2.3 billion to provide high-speed satellite communications to the Canadian Armed Forces in the Arctic.

The federal Defence Investment Agency and Telesat LEO announced the deal on Monday. The contract is meant to secure broadband coverage in remote northern locations for a range of Canadian military activities, including Norad.

This is the largest contract ever for the Ottawa-based Telesat, which has been in operation for about 60 years. It's expected to give the company's network growth plans a major boost.

Telesat CEO Dan Goldberg said the contract will allow his firm to increase the size of its planned low-Earth orbit satellite network by about 44 per cent by adding another 69 satellites.

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Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026
The NASA Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket with the Orion spacecraft prepares to launch at the Kennedy Space Center, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
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Canadian astronaut prepares for NASA mission to International Space Station

Erika Morris, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview
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Canadian astronaut prepares for NASA mission to International Space Station

Erika Morris, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026

Growing up on a cattle farm in eastern Alberta, Joshua Kutryk says he dreamt of going to space though he never thought it would happen.

But a few months after Artemis II's lunar flyby, the 44-year-old is preparing for a mission to the International Space Station that could lead to medical breakthroughs.

Kutryk is one of four members assigned to NASA's SpaceX Crew 13 mission.

He will join NASA's Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. Watkins will be returning to the space station for the second time.

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Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026
FILE - A display shows $110.04 for gasoline on a fuel pump at a Mobil gas station on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)

Major oil companies reap massive profits as US and Iran fighting drives energy prices higher

Cathy Bussewitz, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

Major oil companies reap massive profits as US and Iran fighting drives energy prices higher

Cathy Bussewitz, The Associated Press 7 minute read Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — American oil and gas giants raked in massive spring profits while fighting between Iran and the U.S. impeded petroleum shipments and consumers around the world paid more for fuel and confronted shortages.

The conflict, now in its sixth month, halted most shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that previously served as a delivery route for a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas. With global supplies constrained, prices for Brent crude, the international standard, soared from about $70 to above $100 a barrel for much of March, April and May, and at one point reached $126.

The money that oil companies accrued between the beginning of April and the end of June could receive extra scrutiny this year. Gasoline, diesel and jet fuel prices climbed sharply during that period, increasing costs for drivers and airline passengers. Supplies ran low in some countries, leading to sporadic fuel rationing in Australia and government office closures in Nepal and Sri Lanka.

Exxon Mobil on Friday reported that its second quarter profits doubled to $14.53 billion, boosted by record diesel production. The oil giant, based in Spring, Texas, brought in $116.02 billion in revenue, up 42%.

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Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026
FILE - People view a Zoox self-driving vehicle at the company's booth during the CES tech show, Jan. 7, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

Some robotaxis approved to operate without steering wheels and losing the brake pedal could be next

Josh Funk And Ty O'neil, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Some robotaxis approved to operate without steering wheels and losing the brake pedal could be next

Josh Funk And Ty O'neil, The Associated Press 5 minute read Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Federal regulators are clearing the way for robotaxis to operate without manual controls like steering wheels or eventually even brake pedals as the rules start to catch up to the evolving technology.

Amazon’s fully autonomous Zoox vehicles got approval Thursday to begin charging customers for rides in the specially designed cars that feature four inward-facing seats once they secure state and local approval. Zoox has already been offering free rides in Las Vegas and San Francisco since last year. At least a couple people were waiting at most stops Thursday afternoon for rides up and down the Vegas strip aboard one of the distinctive boxy-shaped vehicles.

“It’s kind of scary at first, but when I just got used to it, it’s really cool and chilling. I really liked the music and how you can adjust the temperature,” Chloe Huu from Ann Arbor, Michigan, said after taking a ride in a Zoox Thursday. But the projected wait time for the ride kept changing, which made it hard to plan.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also proposed a rule last month to allow robotaxis to operate without brake pedals, but that proposal is still pending. Administrator Jonathan Morrison said his agency wants to update the regulations to fit these fully autonomous vehicles while still acting as the “cop on the beat to make sure that this is being done right.”

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Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026
A transport truck carries a cargo container at the Port of Vancouver, on Friday, July 14, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
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‘Drive day and night’: TFI plans to roll out driverless trucks in U.S.

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview
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‘Drive day and night’: TFI plans to roll out driverless trucks in U.S.

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026

MONTREAL - Canada's biggest trucking company aims to roll out autonomous big-rigs in the United States next year, with testing slated to start within months.

TFI International Inc. is working on the project with a partner south of the border in a bid to boost reliability, safety and fuel efficiency, said chief financial officer David Saperstein.

"It can drive day and night. There's no hours of service," he told analysts on a conference call Tuesday evening.

Driverless vehicles steer clear of human factors such as fatigue, illness and poor driving, Saperstein suggested.

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Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026
Lt.-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet speaks with media at the Museum of Aviation in Ottawa on Thursday, July 10, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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‘Bright’ future: RCAF chief says spike in defence spending is boosting flight times

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview
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‘Bright’ future: RCAF chief says spike in defence spending is boosting flight times

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Monday, Aug. 17, 2026

OTTAWA - One year into her new job as commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Lt.-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet said she could see an immediate effect of the federal government's defence spending boost: RCAF pilots are spending more time in the air.

In a recent interview with The Canadian Press, Speiser-Blanchet also acknowledged that preparing the entire service for what she described as a rapid and "giant transformation" — rebuilding the whole plane while it's flying, so to speak — sometimes gives her pause.

"It's that pace of change sometimes that worries me a little," she said.

She said while she’s "very comfortable" with the decisions made preparing for modernization, it's "the thought that there's something we should be doing now to make sure that we're set up for success in the future and that we're missing it" that keeps her up at night.

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Monday, Aug. 17, 2026
Laura Rance-Unger This tractor and grain cart have no driver. The unit is operated remotely and is called to the combine when it is time to unload the hopper.
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Automation reaches new heights on farm

Laura Rance-Unger 4 minute read Preview
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Automation reaches new heights on farm

Laura Rance-Unger 4 minute read Saturday, Jul. 25, 2026

LANGHAM, Sask. — The thousands of farmers from across the Prairies who flock to the annual Ag in Motion show every July seem oblivious to the possibility the technology on display could one day replace many of them.

Families with children in tow, Hutterite colony workers, grandparents and young couples just starting out roamed through the 600 or more exhibitor displays, amazed at how everything about farming just keeps getting bigger, more efficient and increasingly more automated.

It’s now possible to seed using a 100-foot-wide drill — a 12-foot jump over the widest available a few years ago — provided the farmer can afford a tractor with enough horsepower to pull it. Those sell for around $850,000 and up.

Granted, the number of farms with enough acres to justify that kind of width and drawing power is still relatively small, but farms continue to grow. And it’s no secret the number of people who have the interest, skills and financial wherewithal to run them continues to shrink.

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Saturday, Jul. 25, 2026
This undated photo provided by the Discovery Channel Tuesday, July 21, 2026, shows, from left, Air/Sea Heritage Foundation (ASHF) President Russ Matthews, ASHF Director Idee Matthews-Montijo, Expedition Unknown's Josh Gates and Deep Sea Visoin President of Operations Craig Wallace inside an AUV hangar with an Explorers Club flag. (Discovery Channel via AP)

Wreckage found of Pan Am plane crash that helped lead to today’s safety briefings on every flight

Josh Funk, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Wreckage found of Pan Am plane crash that helped lead to today’s safety briefings on every flight

Josh Funk, The Associated Press 5 minute read Wednesday, Jul. 22, 2026

Searchers have found the wreckage from a Pan Am flight that plunged into the ocean off Puerto Rico in 1952, an accident that killed 52 and led to requirements for the passenger safety briefings given on every commercial flight.

The plane, the Clipper Endeavor, made a hard landing after losing engine power shortly after takeoff. The 17 passengers and crew who survived told investigators everyone lived through the landing, but panic set in as many passengers struggled to find life vests and the crew had a hard time pulling out life rafts.

Within minutes, the plane sank. Explorers found the wreckage of the DC-4 last month by using an autonomous sonar drone to locate the fuselage and tail in 2,000 feet of water.

Now before takeoff, flight attendants instruct passengers about exit locations and where life vests are located and how to inflate them.

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Wednesday, Jul. 22, 2026
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Manitoba’s inspiration economy

Peter George 5 minute read Monday, Jul. 20, 2026

Every conversation about Manitoba’s future seems to arrive at the same place.

We talk about investment, innovation, productivity and skilled labour. We celebrate the strength of our aerospace sector, the opportunities created by the world-class companies, community development corporations and educational institutions that have made Manitoba one of Canada’s aerospace leaders.

These are important conversations, but I have come to believe we are overlooking one of the earliest — and perhaps most important — investments we can make in our future economy.

Where does inspiration begin?

SpaceX's mega rocket Starship stands ready but was aborted before liftoff, in Starbase, Texas, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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SpaceX Starship launch aborted on the pad at the last moment

Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview
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SpaceX Starship launch aborted on the pad at the last moment

Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press 3 minute read Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026

SpaceX’s mega Starship rocket came within a second or so from blasting off on a test flight Thursday, but some of the engines failed to ignite, triggering a launch abort amid billowing clouds of smoke and vapor.

Elon Musk, the company's founder and CEO, said two engines will be replaced “to be confident of a good flight” before sending Starship from Texas on a space-skimming journey halfway around the world. It will be the 13th flight for Starship, which at 407 feet (124 meters) tall with 33 main engines is the world’s biggest and most powerful rocket.

SpaceX's launch webcast showed the start of engine ignition three seconds before the planned liftoff, viewed from a drone high above the pad. Although the company did not elaborate, onscreen data showed four engines not firing, with the remaining 29 engines immediately shutting down and keeping the rocket anchored to the pad. It was the first time a full-scale Starship experienced a last-second abort like this.

The launch team immediately began draining the fuel from the rocket.

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Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026
Russell Wangersky / Free Press The airplanes soar — the experience, when you’re in economy seats, does not.
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What a way to fly — if you’re rich

Pam Frampton 5 minute read Preview
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What a way to fly — if you’re rich

Pam Frampton 5 minute read Wednesday, Jul. 15, 2026

When my husband and I were catching a flight from Roatán, Honduras, to Toronto earlier this year, we shared a taxi to the airport with an acquaintance.

He was an amiable guy and we made small talk. I noticed he got jostled travelling over the bumpy island roads same as we did, even though he was one of those annoyingly well-put-together travellers who seemed unfazed by the crushing humidity that was making my hair stick to my neck and forehead. Perhaps he was wearing one of those breathable fabrics that wicks away moisture.

And though I had heard he had travelled to many parts of the world, I noticed his luggage wasn’t quite as “seasoned” as ours.

We shook hands at departures, and the light rhythmic whir of his pristine wheelie bag quickly faded as he melted into the throng at Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport while we were still gathering our bags.

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Wednesday, Jul. 15, 2026