Marks 64th Year Of Following The Jolly Old Elf On His December 24 Rounds

This Christmas will mark the 64th consecutive year of NORAD tracking Santa. CF-188 escort pilots and maintainers are chosen from 3 Wing Bagotville, Quebec,  and 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alberta, while the trackers are chosen from the Canadian Air Defence Sector at 22 Wing North Bay, Ontario.

From 3 Wing, Captain Michaël “Metro” Lachance (of Winnipeg, Manitoba) and Captain Felix “Wrangler” St-Jean (of La Pocatière, Quebec) will serve as Santa’s escort pilots, while Corporal Amélie Tremblay-Gauthier (of Arvida, Quebec) and Corporal Kevin Savoie (of Windsor, Quebec) will form the maintenance team, according to the NORAD Facebook page.

From 4 Wing, Major Kyle “Betty” Wilson (a United States Marine Corps pilot originally from Clearwater, Florida, who is on exchange with the Royal Canadian Air Force) and Captain Brett “Villain” Bobowski (of Regina, Saskatchewan), are this year’s escort pilots, with Corporal Vincent Cloutier (of Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec) and Aviator Jesse Tratch (also of Regina) serving as maintainers.

Captain Brad Ticky (of Montreal, Quebec), Sergeant Francis Doyon (of Thetford Mines, Quebec) and United States Air Force Staff Sergeant Sierra Rathbun (of Rome, New York) from 21 Aerospace Control and Warning Squadron’s Delta Flight at 22 Wing will be the Santa trackers on the 24th. Their duty is to maintain radio contact with Santa and his escort pilots.

(Images from Facebook)

FMI Facebook
www.noradsanta.org