Santa's 2009 flight successful
We are pleased to report that everything went smoothly for Santa last night as he flew through Australian and international airspace to deliver presents to the good boys and girls.
Our air traffic controllers reported that his flight was uneventful.
Santa kept in good contact and used the weather information provided to him to make sure he completed his trip quickly and without his reindeers using too much energy.
Santa left Australian airspace just after midnight West Australian time, heading for our nearest neighbour, Papua New Guinea.
He wishes good children everywhere a safe and Merry Christmas!
Santa makes his final preparations for tonight
Santa and his elves have packed the last Christmas present onto the sleigh and are feeding his nine reindeer before they take to the skies. They usually eat carrot and milk.
Mrs. Claus always bakes a big Christmas pudding for Santa's elves on Christmas Eve. (If he's lucky there might be some left for Santa when he gets home).
Controllers in our two main air traffic control centres in Melbourne and Brisbane have confirmed Santa's flight plan, and provided updated weather information.
We have also performed a final test of our special satellite tracking technology which will allow us to monitor Santa’s flight route and ensure he has a fast, safe journey.
Santa readies his sleigh for delivering presents
Santa will deliver presents to the house of every good child in the world during tomorrow's long night of work. Below you can see some of his busiest cities in Australia, and try to drop presents down the chimneys of these houses.
Remember, Santa will not visit houses where children stay awake!
Christmas sleigh notice issued to pilots
Most pilots will be fast asleep when Santa comes to deliver his presents but there will be some still flying – like passenger jets, air ambulances or police helicopters.
On Christmas Eve, our air traffic controllers will be able to see the sleigh, but other aircraft will not.
Our controllers will direct aircraft away from its flight path to give Santa special priority clearance.
Santa’s nine magic reindeer led by Rudolph with his big red nose will be the fastest aircraft in the sky and it’s important that nothing gets in their way.
This evening Santa, the elves and the reindeer will all rest in preparation for their big day!
See the notice to all other aircraft to stay clear of Santa’s sleigh.
The elves begin packing
Santa’s elves begin the long task of packing Santa’s sleigh today.
This is a very tricky job and only the most experienced elves are responsible for making sure everything fits in.
Each year, elves-in-training use a special game to practice loading the sleigh with presents. Perhaps next year they will have the honour of joining the sleigh preparation team!
Santa wants every boy and girl to have fun this Christmas so he's given us permission to play his present stacking game.
How many presents can you stockpile?
Have you been naughty or nice?
We all know Santa is watching especially closely at this time of the year. He’s preparing his list and checking it twice.
With just a week to go, Santa is looking at the naughty and nice list very, very carefully.
Have you been naughty or nice? Which list are you on? Take a peek over Santa’s shoulder as he checks the list, not once but twice!
And remember, Santa will keep checking the list right up until Christmas Eve, so make sure you stay on the ‘nice’ list, boys and girls!
Meet Santa's reindeer and explore his sleigh
Santa’s sleigh has several special features to ensure he can complete his task of visiting every boy and girl in the world on Christmas Eve.
It includes things to make Santa’s journey more comfortable on a cold night, and some very high-tech navigation equipment.
You can also meet his loyal reindeer: Rudolph, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Donder [sometimes called Donner], Blitzen, Cupid and Comet. They have been practising pulling the sleigh so they are strong enough to deliver presents on Christmas Eve.
Santa and the elves use magical reindeer dust to make them fly. This dust is sprinkled over the reindeer before they leave on Christmas Eve. It gives them powers to fly right around the world.
Santa will also spend some extra time with them today to make sure they are all fit and healthy.
Rudolph will get some extra carrots so his nose glows especially bright on Christmas Eve.
Santa briefed on new satellite tracking technology
Airservices technicians have been meeting with Santa to ensure he is fully briefed on new technology installed by Airservices to track aircraft in Australian skies.
Although sworn to secrecy, our air traffic controllers will this year know exactly where Santa is at any given moment.
Special equipment has been fitted to Santa’s sleigh which broadcasts his call-sign, position, altitude, velocity and other data, twice every second. We call this Automatic Dependant Surveillance - Broadcast (or ADS-B for short), but as Santa's elves all know, it really stands for Auto Detect Sleigh Beacon.
The accuracy of the information displayed on controllers’ screens will allow them to keep other aircraft well clear of Santa’s flight-path and give him priority as he carries out his special deliveries.
Santa has given us a sneak preview of his ADS-B enabled dashboard.
Mums, Dads and pilots can read about the technology being used by Santa.
Santa has even promised us a special peak at the rest of his sleigh tomorrow - see you then!
Welcome to Santa 09!
With only two weeks left until Christmas Santa and his elves are very busy preparing for another Christmas.
Air traffic controllers around the world are helping Santa plan his flight route for the busiest night of the year. In Australia, our air traffic controllers work very closely with Santa to make sure he doesn’t encounter any problems while travelling in and around our big country!
This year, we are deploying special technology to ensure Santa has the best possible journey through Australian skies.
And Santa has again agreed to give us a sneak preview of his special preparations. Between now and the big night, Santa will reveal exactly what he is doing in the lead up to Christmas Eve.
Make sure you visit this website regularly so you don’t miss a minute of Santa’s preparations!
You never know, you may even get a sneak peek at his naughty and nice list. Which one will you be on?