CFB Bagotville staff escorting Santa Claus around Canada

Personnelfrom CFBBagotville have been entrusted with one of the most important missions of the year: they will escort Santa Claus whilehe travels around Canada delivering gifts.

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A team of three are involved in the mission: pilot Capt. Denis Beaulieu and technicians Cpl.Marc-Andr David and Cpl. Daniel Boucher.

They've been preparing for the journey for several days.

Its pretty stressful, but at the same time, its going to be fun, said Beaulieu. His annual trip is the highlight of the year for many young Canadians, so its important that hes safe and well-looked after tonight.

On top of ensuring safety, staff from the basemust make sure no children are forgotten.

I have to make sure the radar works, make sure all the communication equipment works thats what Ill be doing on Dec. 24, said David.

Technicians also took extra precautions to make sure the night goes smoothly.

Weve equipped the aircraft with a fuel tank for a much longer flight, said Boucher.

Two CF-18s from CFBBagotville will escort the sleigh.