Elf News Reporter at North Pole News Network
Elf Meg graduated from Southern North Pole University with a degree in journalism. For several years she was a star reporter for the North Pole Gazette and then briefly served as a producer for North Pole Radio News. She brings her experience in media to North Pole Flight Command, serving as both an Elf News Reporter for North Pole Radio News and Managing Editor of North Pole Flight Command.com
Elf Meg Nogg
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50 days remain until Santa’s launch and the sleigh has resumed test flights after a brief break for test pilots for Halloween.

For now the test flights will remain over Sector 5. Flight Command reports that trackers in Sector 5 are doing a great job sending in weather forecasts and that conditions are favorable for fast testing of the sleigh after Santa requested a 2000 pound weight reduction.

The test flights are likely to stay further to the north where weather patterns are more active. You can track the progress of the test flights at SantaTrackers.net.

While some at the Sleigh Barn were a little confused and anxious about the changes Santa asked for some senior elves have recently stepped forward to say the weight reduction of the sleigh is a minor modification and not one to cause any problems.

The test flights are still on track to be completed long before Santa ever takes flight.

Elf News Reporter at North Pole News Network
Elf Meg graduated from Southern North Pole University with a degree in journalism. For several years she was a star reporter for the North Pole Gazette and then briefly served as a producer for North Pole Radio News. She brings her experience in media to North Pole Flight Command, serving as both an Elf News Reporter for North Pole Radio News and Managing Editor of North Pole Flight Command.com
Elf Meg Nogg
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The test flights of Santa’s sleigh head into October by shifting operations over the Atlantic ocean and other areas over water “for an extended period of time”.

The purpose of these flights will be to test emergency systems on the sleigh, coordination with the North Pole Navy, test landings on ships and islands, and to map changes in coastlines in both Sectors 3 and 5.

That means Santa’s sleigh will largely be out-of-sight for most land-based trackers.

Analysts in flight command say that there may be brief periods of time where Santa’s sleigh could be seen from the east coasts of Canada, the United States, Brazil or even from the islands of the Caribbean for the next few weeks.

It is anticipated these flights will concentrate on water-related flight operations and may take up to three weeks to complete.

Elf News Reporter at North Pole News Network
Elf Meg graduated from Southern North Pole University with a degree in journalism. For several years she was a star reporter for the North Pole Gazette and then briefly served as a producer for North Pole Radio News. She brings her experience in media to North Pole Flight Command, serving as both an Elf News Reporter for North Pole Radio News and Managing Editor of North Pole Flight Command.com
Elf Meg Nogg
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Santa’s sleigh Version 2, as reported earlier, continues to perform very well. As a result, the next step in modification of Santa’s sleigh includes customizations Santa himself has ordered.

These changes are considered mostly cosmetic and will likely not affect the speed or performance of Santa’s sleigh.

Santa communicated by Zoom call this week with designers in the Sleigh Department to finalize decisions on the look of the sleigh.

The sleigh this year will be a traditional red with gold pin stripes. In a surprise move, Santa ordered heavy chrome trim for the runners, both side tops and to front and rear facings.

North Pole Security voiced immediate concerns about how these highly reflective finishes will affect the visibility of Santa’s sleigh in the skies, especially from a distance.

Santa rejected those concerns.

Tech designers objected to the added weight the chrome will give the sleigh.

Test flights this week over Sector 5 were flown with the estimated addition of representative weight these new chrome elements and no performance concerns were raised during the test.

In a surprise bit of news Santa asked for the final cosmetic changes of the sleigh to be ready “before Thanksgiving”. This is about a month before Santa flies and far earlier than normal.

We will keep you posted on additional changes to Santa’s sleigh.

Elf Harold Star is a veteran news reporter and editor formerly with the North Pole Gazette. He has reported North Pole News for more than 50 years. He now serves the North Pole News Network as its primary news editor. Elf Harold lives at the North Pole with his wife, 4 cats and 3 very scared goldfish.
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The test flights of Santa’s sleigh have transitioned to a new phase. As the Regional Tracking Centers are announced elves are in training to begin flight tracking. To do that, they need maps.

That same training also applies to tracker elves. So, effective immediately, live data tracking maps have been made available for trackers worldwide via the Santa Tracker map at SantaTrackers.net.

Logged in elves can now see where the test flights of Santa’s sleigh are in real time. This is an exclusive feature for official elves only and it is not available to the public.

Surprisingly, this year’s sleigh is only on version 2. Test pilots are reporting excellent results with Santa’s new sleigh design this year. There are very few problems and the sleigh project is far ahead of schedule.

We will keep you updated on the progress of Santa’s sleigh.