Staff Sergeant Cedric Winchester of the U.S. Air Force oversees Santa on his radar as he flies just off the coast of Newfoundland. For the past 54 years, CFB North Bay has been the headquarters of the NORAD Santa track.
Staff Sergeant Cedric Winchester of the U.S. Air Force oversees Santa on his radar as he flies just off the coast of Newfoundland.For the past 54 years, CFB North Bay has been the headquarters of the NORAD Santa track. The men and women behind the project use the latest technology to locate, intercept, guide and welcome Santa and his reindeer into Canadian airspace.
“It’s something that NORAD personnel in both the U.S. and Canada take great pride in doing,” Major Mark Roberts said. “It’s a source of excitement for little kids… so they can get updates on where Santa is.”
This year’s effort went off without a hitch as the “Santa Track” staff intercepted Santa just east of Newfoundland with help from CF-18’s from Gander, NL.
“There were ten targets in all,” Major Roberts said. “Nine reindeer and a really large target that we correctly identified as Santa.”
Major Roberts estimated the load Mr. Kringle was carrying in his sleigh to be about 60,000 tonnes; all of which are reportedly gifts for the children.
“He appears to be on schedule and his sleigh is full of gifts,” Major Roberts said of Santa Claus. “That’s good news for us and for kids around the world.”
Over the years, the Santa tracking technology has gotten much better. Major Roberts explained the “Santa Track” headquarters are no longer underground; they have now moved their operated to a state-of-the-art above-ground complex.
“How we (NORAD) communicate – the different avenues or ways we can communicate are much more reliable and much more plentiful.” Major Roberts said.
Roberts said with the growing technology they’re able to do such things as prepare to track Santa via simulation, as well as look over routes “Jolly old St. Nick” has taken in years past.
“We give our CF-18 pilots very accurate guidance to intercept Santa,” Major Roberts said. “The last thing we want to do is delay Santa and his reindeer as he treks across Canada.”
You too can track Santa on his route by logging on to
http://www.noradsanta.com or with Google Earth. The site also features games and a real-time Santa-Cam where kids can see pictures of Santa Claus uploaded by people across the globe as he makes his trek through their part of the world.
