Elf Meg Nogg
Elf Meg Nogg
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
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Test Flights of Santa’s Sleigh Can Be Tracked

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The test flights of Santa’s sleigh can be tracked at SantaTrackers.net.

SantaTrackers.net is home to elves who track Santa for Santa. This amazing North Pole program is Santa’s brain child. For five years now Santa has employed elves all over the world to help track him on Christmas Eve. Anyone can become an elf and openings are available for tracker elves. All the details are at SantaTrackers.net.

Flight Command is using the test flights of Santa’s new sleigh to extend training to Santa trackers all over the world. That’s why the map has been activated for tracker elves at SantaTrackers.net – to they can be trained. Using the map now in training will be helpful for new elves who have never done it before.

Flight Command is also working on a Tracker Elf Conference soon to be announced as part of Christmas in July. The Conference, the Map and other materials at SantaTrackers.net should be enough to train the millions of new elves Santa is hoping to hire for 2021.

We will be posting advanced schedules of the test flights in the days and weeks ahead.

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Elf Meg Nogg
Elf Meg Nogg
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
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More Than a Dozen Sleighs to Be Flight Tested

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More than a dozen sleighs will be flight tested as elves in the North Pole Research and Development Department work to refine the design of Santa’s sleigh.

“Most people do not realize how much work the design and testing of Santa’s sleigh takes,” said flight director, Elf Buck Sanchez. “They just think Santa hops into the same old sleigh every year and just tells the reindeer to go. It does not work like that at all. Every year Santa is pressed to go faster than the year before and that’s because every year there are more and more believers in Santa. That means the sleigh has to get faster every year, if even by just a little bit. A lot of work goes into to accomplishing that.”

More than a dozen sleighs of the present design are produced and flown for weeks. During the flights notes are taken of what needs to be changed or improved. Each flight is sent on a particular mission. They fly under certain weather conditions, at specified times of the day and in unique locations. On any given day all of those sleighs could be in flight at the same time, testing situations and outcomes.

“We have reindeer and test pilots to feed, train, brief and de-brief,” Elf Sanchez says. “We comb over flight data, watch film of sleighs in flight and interview ground witnesses in the form of professional trackers that we position on the ground as each flight leaves. It is a very comprehensive effort that takes thousands of elves, hundreds of reindeer, and dozens of test pilots – as well as months of time.”

The sad part is that every two weeks a new set of sleighs are produced at the North Pole to replace the current sleighs, which are then destroyed.

“We have to move forward,” explain Elf Quinton Q. Quigley, head elf in Research and Development. “Never look back. The old sleighs are dismantled, never to be flown again. We recycle the material, so there is no loss. But the new design every two weeks is the way forward and we work with it, then start all over again.”

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Elf Meg Nogg
Elf Meg Nogg
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
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200 Days Until Santa Launches

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There are just 200 days until Santa launches and North Pole Flight Command has already accomplished much as part of Operation Merry Christmas.

Locations for regional tracking centers were announced late last month and efforts are already underway to construct those centers and get them operational. It is anticipated that they will be completed by the end of June so that tracker training can commence through flight simulations using last year’s flight data.

Santa’s sleigh has received design approval and prototypes have already had their first test flights.

Santa is leading a recruiting drive among the reindeer to staff the test flight teams needed for this year’s sleigh. It is anticipated that full-scale test flights will begin this next week.

All of this is far in advance of the usual schedule. We are awaiting word of when Santa will announce tracking initiatives for 2021, including the number of tracker elves he will need worldwide. Last year he had more than 55 million.

We expect the news from North Pole Flight Command to be particularly heavy over the next 8 weeks. Please stand by for news.

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Elf Ernest
Elf Ernest
Vice President, Public Relations at Santa Claus LTD
Managing editor at SantaUpdate.com and Director of North Pole Radio News. Elf Ernest has worked in public relations for Santa for more than 70 years.
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Sleigh Moved into Launch Position

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Santa’s sleigh has been moved into launch position now in the Sleigh Barn.

What that means is that the sleigh itself is completely ready. It has been washed and waxed. All instruments have been freshly calibrated. Al communication systems have been checked.

Two big things have to happen before launch. The bells need to be brought in and the reindeer need to be hitched to the sleigh. This is a task Santa reserves for himself. He begins about an hour before launch, carefully checking the bridle on each reindeer, talking to them as he moves along. Of course, he starts at the rear with Donner and Blitzen and moves his way forward all the way to Rudolph.

As Santa completes each “team” and moves on the the next week, the bell technicians move in behind him to position the bells. Believe it or not, this is a procedure they practice all the time. It is very important that it is done exactly right.

Because of the weather, as is frequently the case on Christmas Eve at the North Pole, a “short launch” from a standing position from within the sleigh barn is necessary. This means that instead of a slow gradual ascent powered by a long trot the reindeer must begin with a burst of speed like they are running a short race.

As Santa gently walks the reindeer towards the large double doors he briefly stops, gives his command and the reindeer take off like a shot straight into the blowing snow. This too is a procedure they have practiced many times.

To answer those who always ask this question: no, Rudolph’s nose is OFF for this kind of take-off. The reason is because in heavy falling snow his light reflects off the snow flakes. It actually makes it harder for the reindeer to see if it is on. Only after the team is airborne does Rudolph “turn it on”.

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