Canadian NORAD Region Names Santa's Escort Pilots and Tracking Crews

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA--(Marketwired - Dec. 2, 2015) - The Canadian NORAD Region kicks off the 60^th anniversary of tracking Santa's yuletide journey from the North Pole with the naming of his escort pilots and tracking crews for the important job.

Quick Facts

• Santa's escort pilots from 3 Wing/Canadian Forces Base Bagotville, Que. are Captain Andrew Jakubaitis, and Captain Pierre-David Boivin. The CF-18 Hornet Crew Chiefs supporting them are Master Corporal Marc-André David and Corporal Steeven Cantin.

• Santa's escort pilots from 4 Wing/Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake, Alta. are Lieutenant-Colonel William Radiff and Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Bortnem (U.S. Air Force). Their CF-18 Hornet Crew Chiefs are Corporal Sean Adel and Aviator Laurie Dunbar.

• Santa Trackers from 21 Aerospace Control and Warning Squadron, 22 Wing at CFB North Bay, Ont. include: Major Darren Reck, Captain Pierre Grignon, and United States Air Force Technical Sergeant Amanda Pascoe, whose duty it is to maintain radio contact with Santa and his escort pilots.

• Santa trackers, escort pilots, and crew chiefs will be available for interviews until December 23, 2015.

• The NORAD Tracks Santa website: www.noradsanta.org, now live and available in eight languages, features Santa's North Pole Village, including a holiday countdown, games, activities, and more.

• Starting at 12:01 a.m. MST on Dec. 24, website visitors can watch Santa make preparations for his flight. NORAD's "Santa Cams" will stream videos on the website as Santa makes his way over various locations. Then, at 4 a.m. MST (6 a.m. EST), trackers worldwide can speak with a live phone operator to inquire as to Santa's whereabouts by dialing the toll-free number 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) or by sending an email to noradtrackssanta@outlook.com. Any time on Dec. 24, Windows Phone users can ask Cortana for Santa's location, and OnStar subscribers can press the OnStar button in their vehicles to find Santa.

Quote

"The men and women of the Canadian NORAD Region keep watchful eyes over North American airspace 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It's a great responsibility to ensure Santa's safe passage around North America so that he can continue his journey of goodwill and cheer; and we're honoured to celebrate 60 successful years of this gratifying mission."

Major-General David Wheeler

Commander Canadian NORAD Region

Related Products

Photos of Santa's escort pilots and tracking crews

NORAD celebrates 60 years tracking Santa

Associated Links

NORAD Tracks Santa

Canadian NORAD Region

NORAD