Santa Claus in Winnipeg to prepare for 2015 NORAD Tracks Santa Operation
CBC News | Posted: December 9, 2015 8:47 PM | Last Updated: December 9, 2015
He was planning his upcoming trip around the world with his most trusted advisor, a small elf, on Wednesday
Santa Claus is in Winnipeg on Wednesday, where he is completing final preparations for the 2015 NORAD Tracks Santa Operation at the Canadian NORAD Region.
This Christmas marks 60 years since NORAD began tracking Santa, and Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Fawcett said the original method and objective remains tried, tested and true.
"Our mission hasn't changed, just some of the technology that's been updated over time to allow us to more efficiently track Santa," Fawcett said.
"The number of communication tools that children around the world can track Santa has much improved with social media [and] internet apps, so it's a much easier program for us to get the information out on where Santa is at all times."
Santa, who was busy planning his upcoming trip around the world with his top elf when he spoke to CBC, said his relationship with NORAD is peaceful and interactions between his crew and theirs is brief each year.
"The amount of time I actually spend on the wing of the F18 is very short," he said.
"They come up to make a positive identification on me, like they would any strange aircraft coming into Canadian and North American airspace. They'll come and have a look, we get the wave and then I would continue on my way."
Santa takes flight on Dec. 24, and assured everyone at the region on Wednesday that children need not worry about him not making it to their homes to deliver gifts because he is the best pilot in the sky.