Struggles Continue for Santa’s New Sleigh

Santa’s new sleigh continues to struggle in test flights.

North Pole Flight Command reported last week that the test flights have moved from the North Pole to Sector 4, away from the North Pole for the first time this year.

The change of venue has done little to improve the flying performance of the sleigh.

Engineers continue to be critical of the slow speed of the sleigh but new concerns have come up this week as the new design faces significantly different weather in South America.

“We’re seeing that when the sleigh is fully loaded there are stability issues in high wind situations,” said Elf Gregory Walker, an analyst in North Pole Flight Command. “The numbers are a bit scary. It’s early still and they are making a number of modifications to the design.”

Santa has approved a modified designed and version #3 of the sleigh – code named Clara – is on the way.

Meanwhile, a large conference of elves was held this week by Santa to discuss with various departments what the new radical sleigh design will mean for this Christmas Eve. Elves left the conference enthused about the possibilities of the new sleigh.

Whatever those changes might be – and nobody is allowed to discuss them, evidently – it is resulting in huge numbers of new sleigh pilots and reindeer being recruited. The Reindeer Operations Department are trying to recruit 5000 new reindeer to be pressed into support efforts of Santa’s flight.

That request is believed to be tied to a massive order of 3500 new sleighs that Santa has asked to be delivered shortly before Christmas. The nature of those sleighs and their mission have not yet been revealed.

Elves in-the-know say that if plans for Santa’s new sleigh pan out this Christmas Eve will be historic.

The test flights of Santa’s sleigh can be monitored on the Santa Tracker for those with access to the map.

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Elf Ed Zachary

Elf Ed Zachary is the News Director at the North Pole. For years he was a columnist for the North Pole Gazette, specializing in content focusing on North Pole and Elf life. Known as the Great SantaDefender, Elf Ed Zachary is frequently tasked with dealing with doubters and detractors of Santa Claus. He is famous for Defending Santa and the reality of Claus culture and North Pole existence. His column here at SantaUpdate.com is titled "It's an Elf's Life".

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