Santa cleared for take-off, to get crack fighter escort Fri Dec 17, 4:24 PM ET Canada - AFP WINNIPEG, Canada (AFP) - Santa Claus is coming to town ... and in these uncertain times, he's being offered a jet fighter escort. Canadian pilots seconded to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) who normally spend their nights scouring the skies for intruders, will scramble on Christmas Eve for a special mission. "Santa has communicated to NORAD that he intends to begin his journey at 3.00 a.m. EST, Dec 24," the Canadian armed forces said in a tongue-in-cheek statement. Two CF-18...