Santa's Flight Exam - Santa Claus, like all pilots, gets regular visits from the Federal Aviation Administration, and it was shortly before Christmas when the FAA examiner arrived.

In preparation, Santa had the elves wash the sled and bathe all the reindeer. Santa got his logbook out and made sure all his paperwork was

in order.

The examiner walked slowly around the sled. He checked the reindeer harnesses, the landing gear, and Rudolf's nose. He painstakingly

reviewed Santa's weight and balance calculations for the sled's enormous

payload.

Finally, they were ready for the checkride. Santa got in, fastened his seatbelt and shoulder harness, and checked the compass. Then the

examiner hopped in carrying, to Santa's surprise, a shotgun. "What's

that for?" asked Santa incredulously.

The examiner winked and said, "I'm not supposed to tell you this, but

you're gonna lose an engine on takeoff."