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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Just about everything on Santa’s sleigh this year is brand new – even the sleigh bells.

The sleigh bells on Santa’s sleigh are not ordinary in any way. They are made by Hell’s Bells, of Hell, Norway, run by a friend of Santa’s by the name of Alexander Vandergander. The bells supplied by his workshop have been used on Santa’s sleigh for many years.

They are custom made each season. The bells are designed to work together, are expertly crafted of brass and then gold plated. They are tuned using precision instruments and then polished and shipped to the North Pole in down-insulated wooden crates specifically made for them.

This year’s bells have just arrived at the North Pole.

They are being carefully unpacked in the Sleigh Bell Department and the work has begun to string the bells on custom leather material made just for their use. But there is only so much that can be done with the bells before they are declared “ready” for Santa. The sleigh must return from it’s final test flight before the bells are attached and tested before Santa’s flight. A reported 431 elves are required to install the bells, tune them, and test them before Santa can even think of getting into the sleigh.

The bells are considered one of the most important details on Santa’s sleigh.

We will let you know if any problems arise this year in their use and installation.

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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In a meeting late yesterday at the North Pole Elf Roger Star, Director of North Pole Flight Command, indicated he may end the test flights “early”.

The comment took many by surprise. Traditionally, Santa’s sleigh continues test flights up to the very hour of Santa’s launch.

But the test flights this year have been so successful that some are saying there’s just nothing further to test on the sleigh.

Twelve prototype sleighs have been flying near continuously since June of this year in an effort to get it “perfect”. There are rumors, especially based on test flights held recently, that this could be the fastest sleigh in the history of Claus flight.

Many are already talking that this could be the year when Santa breaks the 30-hour delivery barrier that has eluded him for so many years. In the past ten years Santa has completed his flight at anywhere from 30 to 36 total hours of flight time. Last year he came within 20 minutes of breaking that 30-hour mark.

Ending the test flights early would be an unprecedented action. Elf Roger refused to say anything more about it when local North Pole media tried to press him on the issue.

We will let you know if this goes anywhere.

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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North Pole Flight Command is planning for long-range, high-speed test flights in the coming days.

For those following along via the tracker map at SantaTrackers.net you will likely see this manifest as the sleigh moves great distances each day in the near future.

These tests, while not exciting, will help improve the stability of the sleigh. The tests will experiment with load sizes, in varying weather, and at variable speeds and altitudes.

The test pilots are attempting to simulate actual flying scenarios that Santa might encounter on his own flight.

These are new tests, done at a level never tried before. Test pilots are confident these tests will yield good and useful data for Santa.

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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Despite the disruption to operations at the Regional Tracking Center for Sector 3 in Vik, Iceland North Pole Flight Command is moving ahead with plans to shift test flights of Santa’s Sleigh (Version 2) to the skies of Europe in the coming days.

“We need flight tests in winter weather,” said Elf Buck Sanchez, Flight Operations Director at the North Pole. “We see a lot of active winter weather in Europe coming so we’re going there.”

Test flights of Santa’s sleigh continue to perform well. At this time, no further adjustments of the sleigh are anticipated. Tests over Sector 5 the past week have been successful.

As for the situation in Vik and the set up of a temporary tracking center in Norway, we anticipate being able to share news on that in a few days.