Possible Sighting of the Test Flights

We have our first possible sighting of the test flights of Santa’s sleigh reporter from a tracker elf in Venezuela.

Elf Medina, a resident of that country and a 3-year tracker elf, reported the possible sighting and recorded some video, which he sent to us.

Whenever there is a sleigh sighting of any type there is a verification process to validate the sighting. There are three steps to the process and Elf Medina’s report has cleared the first step.

The first step is to get by the review process here at the Regional Tracking Center. We take his report and his photos or videos and process them through three different steps as well at our level. It first goes to a regional observer who matches the report to flight data. If it passes that test, it goes to our internal review board who looks at all the information and determines if it is strong enough to move forward. If they approve it, it gets sent to me to determine whether or not to pass it to North Pole Flight Command.

In the case of this report, all three of our steps at the Regional Tracking Center for Sector 4 have been met and I have indeed sent it to Flight Command, who is presently reviewing it.

Flight Command first sends the report to the Sleigh Department, which has a flight command committee that plans and reviews all sleigh flights anywhere in the world. It does not take them long to determine if a report we send in qualifies.

Once they take a look at it, it goes before the General Board at North Pole Flight Command. They review all the data and reports compiled up to that point in the process. Then they have a very important discussion to answer specific questions.

1. Is this a legitimate sighting of Santa’s sleigh?
2. If true, do we confirm it publicly?
3. If false, do we release that information publicly?
4. Who does this information serve if we do release it?

As they debate those questions we wait.

That is where we are at now in the process. From all I know, no other sighting report has gone so far this year.

Thanks to Elf Medina for his good work.

About this Elf: Elf Tubby Ryder

Elf Tubby is well known to those familiar with North Pole flight operations, where he has served as an Associate Director Flight Director for many years. He has given Christmas Eve flight service in many places all over the world, most notably in 1994 when Santa had to move all his flight operations to the South Pole. Elf Tubby coordinated that project.

Tubby has a large family of 18 children. He, his wife Delores and children live on a converted reindeer ranch not far from town. Tubby is an avid skier and is often found on Mt. Frosty here at the North Pole after Christmas is over, where he volunteers as a Ski Patrol member. Tubby is also a master chef, having attended school in Italy many years ago.