Santa's tour through Canadian airspace went without a sleigh bell ringing hitch last night.
At 21 Aerospace Control and Warning Squadron at NORAD here at CFB North Bay, technicians annually track Santa Claus and his reindeer as the unique sleigh enters Canadian airspace on Christmas Eve.
Canadian and American members of NORAD have been tracking Santa’s Journey for the past 69 years from various locations in both countries.
The Canadian Air Defence Sector, part of NORAD, prepares year-round for tracking unknown aircraft, including Santa Claus on December 24.
Corporal Colby Ransom, a ground control technician at the North Bay facility, was excited about tracking Santa, a unique mission due to Santa's lack of a flight plan.
Ransom explains that the North Warning System detects Santa's departure from the North Pole, and fighter jets confirm his visual identification and then escort him and his sleigh through Canadian airspace.
"I think it went super well," noted Ransom.
"As far as we're tracking, Santa managed to visit every single house in one night. We had absolutely no issues with him. Coming through Canadian airspace, he slowed down to give a nice, friendly wave to our pilots, and they, of course, waved back. So from what we see, it went perfectly. No issues at all.
"I've only been at North Bay for a little bit over a year, and I wasn't qualified in my current position last Christmas so I didn't have the opportunity to work over Christmas Eve. So I'm pretty excited that I was able to track Santa Claus this year."
The Air Force has always been very secretive about Santa's Journey never revealing any of the secrets behind how Santa has been able to finish this amazing Christmas mission by delivering gifts to so many Canadian households.
Over the years, many NORAD officials have just described it as, "Christmas Magic."
