CF-18 pilots on standby to escort Santa across Canada

CBC ^ | December 22, 2012 | Janyce McGregor

[Squawk 8888]

[Squawk 8888]

To all- please ping me to Canadian topics.

Canada Ping!

[faithhopecharity]

how many “free Obamaphones” can it carry?

[Hot Tabasco]

I call this story BS! There's no way a CF-18 can even come close to flying at starlight speed.........

But on the other hand, maybe Santa knows this and slows down so they can keep up, you know, kinda like letting them think they're really in the game.

[ObozoMustGo2012]

Not to sound like a Scrooge but are we really spending our defense dollars on this???

[A.A. Cunningham]

Pilots who have flown the escort missions in previous years report Santa does slow down and wave for the initial interception and identification by the CF-18s. He’s hoping to get a good shot of the otherwise-elusive elf, who has appeared to enjoy posing for the camera during previous missions in previous years.

[JRandomFreeper]

Norad has tracked Santa for decades. It's the only time most people hear about the North American Air Defense command that spends every hour of every day watching for us and protecting us.

Get over it.

God bless the men that fly and fight.

/johnny

[Biggirl]

You can track Santa on your smart phones!

[Squawk 8888]

Yep, I remember when I was a kid the local radio station (CFRB Toronto) would air regular updates from NORAD on Christmas Eve. It was one of the highlights of the season.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Someone calculated that Santa would combust from the windburn incurred by visiting all the Christian kids in the world.

[faithhopecharity]

I’m just an old-fashioned worker type person who buys pretty much only what we actually need. However that’s such wonderful news that I will go get my free Obamasmartphone so I can track Santa, too. Yippee! (Thanks)

[HiTech RedNeck]

It’s a clever and light hearted publicity trick.

When was the Rudolph song penned? I think Norad is older than that. The Sleigh used to be only eight RP until Rudolph joined the crew.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Obamaphones are still dumbphones the last I checked.

[Squawk 8888]

From Wikipedia"

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is a song written by Johnny Marks based on the 1939 story Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer published by the Montgomery Ward Company.

In 1939 Marks' brother-in-law, Robert L. May, created Rudolph as an assignment for Montgomery Ward and Marks decided to adapt the story of Rudolph into a song. Marks (1909–1985), was a radio producer who also wrote several other popular Christmas songs.

The song was sung commercially by crooner Harry Brannon on New York City radio in early November 1949, before Gene Autry's recording hit No. 1 in the U.S. charts the week of Christmas 1949. Autry's version of the song also holds the distinction of being the only chart-topping hit to fall completely off the chart after reaching No. 1. The official date of its No. 1 status was for the week ending January 7, 1950, making it the first No. 1 song of the 1950s. Autry's recording sold 2.5 million copies the first year, eventually selling a total of 25 million, and it remained the second best-selling record of all time until the 1980s.

[Nowhere Man]

1939 is when Rudolph came out. BTW, shame they never made the Avro Arrow, would be cool to escort Sanata with some of them. I have a soft spot for the CF-100 Canuck too:

[the OlLine Rebel]

Sorry, Rudolph song is older, and the story that much more!

[the OlLine Rebel]

Sorry, Rudolph song is older, and the story that much more!

[the OlLine Rebel]

Sorry, Rudolph song is older, and the story that much more!

[the OlLine Rebel]

Sorry, Rudolph song is older, and the story that much more!

[the OlLine Rebel]

Sorry, Rudolph song is older, and the story that much more!