Helicopters over East LA
Live helicopter tracking for East LA, Los Angeles — updated every few seconds.
Checking the sky over East LA…
Recent incidents over East LA
- 🚨 LAPD and LASD aircraft are tracking a possible stolen vehicle pursuit in the Newton Division of Los Angeles. · 34.054, -118.174
✅ Pursuit coverage concluded after 6 min — aircraft breaking off. Replay + alerts: gtla.live/i/pursuit-la--222?src=story
Jun 23, 6:50 PM PT
- 🚨 Los Angeles police track a vehicle pursuit in Boyle Heights as NewsChopper 4 and Sky5 fly overhead. · Boyle Heights
✅ Pursuit coverage concluded after 6 min — aircraft breaking off. Replay + alerts: gtla.live/i/pursuit-boyle-heights--160?src=story
Jun 19, 8:45 PM PT
- 📺 ✅ Scene coverage concluded after 17 min — news helicopters departing. Replay + alerts: gtla.live/i/swarm-east-la-a4044?s · East LA
✅ Scene coverage concluded after 17 min — news helicopters departing. Replay + alerts: gtla.live/i/swarm-east-la-a4044?src=story
Jun 19, 7:22 AM PT
The sky over East LA
By hour of day
Who flies over East LA
- Sheriff56%
- News22%
- Police11%
- Private6%
- Military3%
- Other2%
What it usually means
Sheriff (LASD): Sheriff's helicopters typically orbit for a search, a pursuit, or to support deputies on the ground.
News helicopter: News helicopters usually mean live coverage of a developing story — a pursuit, a fire, or a scene the station is broadcasting.
Police (LAPD / municipal): Police helicopters typically orbit for a search, a pursuit, or to support officers on the ground. A tight circle overhead usually means the activity is directly below.
Private / civil: Private and civil helicopters are usually in transit, on a charter, or on a survey flight.
Recent helicopter activity
- Jul 25, 10:07 AMLASDN954LA · AS50500–600 ft1 minS
- Jul 25, 10:00 AMLASDN954LA · AS50500–600 ft2 minN
- Jul 25, 9:19 AMSheriffN954LA600–700 ft1 minS
- Jul 25, 8:32 AMLASD Air Rescue 5N951LB925–1,150 ft1 minN
- Jul 25, 4:07 AMPoliceN229LA600–650 ft1 minW
- Jul 24, 9:52 PMNewsChopper 4N358TV1,150–1,275 ft1 minN
- Jul 24, 9:32 PMNewsChopper 4N358TV1,100–1,250 ft1 minSE
- Jul 24, 8:04 PMSheriffN950LA775–825 ft1 minSE
- Jul 24, 7:30 PMLASD Air Rescue 5N951LB1,100–1,525 ft1 minS
- Jul 24, 6:53 PMPrivateN821MR1,075–1,225 ft1 minSE
- Jul 24, 6:43 PMPrivateN821MR950–1,075 ft1 minNW
- Jul 24, 6:10 PMSheriffN950LA950 ft1 minSE
- Jul 24, 6:04 PMAIR7N71HD1,100–1,150 ft2 minW
- Jul 24, 5:16 PMSky5N925TV1,300–1,350 ft1 minSW
- Jul 24, 4:39 PMPrivateN95MG1,725–1,750 ft2 minW
- Jul 24, 1:52 PMSkyCAL / SkyFOX 11N39CL1,200–1,300 ft1 minW
- Jul 24, 1:52 PMSheriffN958LA600–700 ft1 minW
- Jul 24, 1:32 PMSheriffN958LA975–1,125 ft3 minW
- Jul 24, 12:35 PMSheriffN958LA850–1,000 ft2 minE
- Jul 24, 12:18 PMSheriffN958LA600–750 ft2 minW
- Jul 24, 10:05 AMNewsChopper 4N358TV1,225–1,325 ft1 minSW
- Jul 24, 8:23 AMSheriffN958LA1,150–1,175 ft1 minE
- Jul 24, 7:54 AMLASD Air Rescue 5N951LB925–1,225 ft1 minN
- Jul 24, 6:59 AMSkyCAL / SkyFOX 11N39CL900 ft1 minSW
- Jul 24, 6:29 AMSheriffN958LA900–950 ft1 minS
- Jul 24, 6:25 AMSkyCAL / SkyFOX 11N39CL1,000–1,200 ft5 minS
- Jul 24, 6:24 AMSheriffN958LA850–875 ft1 minN
- Jul 24, 6:17 AMNewsChopper 4N358TV1,150–1,225 ft1 minW
- Jul 23, 11:14 PMSheriffN950LA750–775 ft1 minE
- Jul 23, 10:41 PMSheriffN958LA975–1,125 ft1 minS
- Jul 23, 7:42 PMLASD Air Rescue 5N951LB1,275–1,550 ft1 minS
- Jul 23, 7:38 PMSheriffN950LA600–750 ft3 minSW
- Jul 23, 5:41 PMPrivateN703WP850–900 ft1 minNW
- Jul 23, 5:19 PMSheriffN950LA875–900 ft1 minSW
- Jul 23, 4:31 PMSheriffN959LA850 ft1 minSE
- Jul 23, 3:39 PMSheriffN959LA800–825 ft2 minS
- Jul 23, 3:24 PMSheriffN959LA850–900 ft1 minN
- Jul 23, 1:01 PMNewsChopper 4N358TV1,325–1,475 ft1 minSW
- Jul 23, 12:02 PMPoliceN665PD1,075–1,300 ft1 minNW
- Jul 23, 11:46 AMSkyFOX 11 / SkyCALN50Q900–1,000 ft1 minS
Nearby coverage
Helicopters over East LA: common questions
Why is there a helicopter over East LA?
Most helicopter activity over East LA is one of four things: police aircraft supporting officers on the ground, news helicopters covering a developing story, fire or air-medical aircraft responding to an emergency, or private and military aircraft simply transiting the area. This page shows which one is overhead right now, identified by operator.
How can I tell if it's police or a news helicopter?
Police aircraft usually fly tight, repeated orbits over one spot and often stay for a long time. News helicopters tend to hold a wider circle at a higher altitude and arrive after an incident is already underway. This page labels each aircraft by its operator, so you don't have to guess.
What time do helicopters usually fly over East LA?
Based on 479 tracked passes over East LA, the most common hour for helicopter activity is around 5pm local time. Activity rises during evening news hours and drops sharply overnight.
Where does this data come from?
GTLA AirWatch tracks public ADS-B and MLAT broadcasts that aircraft transmit about their own position, the same open data used by air-traffic enthusiasts worldwide. It is updated every few seconds.