Santa’s new sleigh is in the test flight stage. As is custom, the Sleigh Design Department makes several sleighs as year as test pilots continue to refine how the sleigh performs. So far this year there have only been 2 versions of the sleigh.

By this point in most years we are usually up to about Version 5 of the sleigh. But both pilots and designers are saying Version 2 of the sleigh has proven to be so stable and efficient they haven’t been able to find corrections to make in months.

Presently, Santa’s sleigh is in test flights over Asia. Tracker elves can follow the progress of Santa’s sleigh at Santa Trackers.net.

Elf Quinton Q. Quigley, head elf of the Research and Development Department at the North Pole, says he has reached out to Santa with a progress report in hopes of stepping up the test flight schedule. There are new features – usually more cosmetic in nature that do not affect performance – that require test flights as well. Customarily these tweaks are held to the last minute in the days before Santa takes off. Quinton wants to implement those changes now because the sleigh is doing so well.

Flight Analysts at North Pole Flight Command are already working on simulated flight scenarios as they begin working the flight plan. They say that with such great performance from the sleigh and all the extra time for advanced planning the possibility of Santa setting an all time speed record this year is very high.

The test flights will continue – there is no reason to stop them – until well after the scheduled return of Santa’s reindeer to the North Pole. After they do return it is possible those reindeer may be embedded into the test flight reindeer teams for advanced flight training for reindeer. Those plans, however, cannot be implemented until those reindeer return.

We will keep you posted as those developments happen.