Helicopters over Glendale

Live helicopter tracking for Glendale, Los Angeles — updated every few seconds.

Checking the sky over Glendale…

Map of Glendale, Los Angeles — Scanning for choppers over Glendale — nothing overhead right now. The dashed ring is the 2 km radius this page counts as “over Glendale”; inner rings mark one-third and two-thirds of that distance.

Who's hovering here?View the full live map

Recent incidents over Glendale

📺 ABC7: LIVE: Crews battling brush fire and structure fire in Eagle Rock area amid dangerous heat · Glendale
✅ Scene coverage concluded after 79 min — news helicopters departing. Replay + alerts: gtla.live/i/swarm-glendale-a2f3d?src=story
Jul 16, 4:12 PM PT Watch the replay
🚨 Los Angeles Fire Department crews battle brush and structure fire in Eagle Rock area as multiple news helicopters circle overhead. · Glendale
✅ Story coverage concluded after 7 min — aircraft breaking off. Replay + alerts: gtla.live/i/breaking-glendale--639?src=story
Jul 16, 3:00 PM PT Watch the replay
📺 ✅ Scene coverage concluded after 16 min — news helicopters departing. Replay + alerts: gtla.live/i/swarm-glendale-a638f? · Glendale
✅ Scene coverage concluded after 16 min — news helicopters departing. Replay + alerts: gtla.live/i/swarm-glendale-a638f?src=story
Jun 19, 8:35 PM PT
📺 ✅ Scene coverage concluded after 15 min — news helicopters departing. Replay + alerts: gtla.live/i/swarm-chinatown-a4044 · Chinatown
✅ Scene coverage concluded after 15 min — news helicopters departing. Replay + alerts: gtla.live/i/swarm-chinatown-a4044?src=story
Jun 12, 10:21 PM PT

The sky over Glendale

306helicopter passes tracked over 25 days

85.7

passes per week

4.3

hours overhead per week

3 PM

busiest hour

Police

most common overhead

By hour of day

12a

12p

Busiest hour: 3p · this hour (11a) has averaged 15 passes historically

Who flies over Glendale

Police50%
News22%
Private17%
Fire / medical9%
Sheriff1%
Other2%

What it usually means

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.

News helicopter: News helicopters usually mean live coverage of a developing story — a pursuit, a fire, or a scene the station is broadcasting.

Private / civil: Private and civil helicopters are usually in transit, on a charter, or on a survey flight.

Fire / medical: Fire and air-medical helicopters mean a fire response, a rescue, or a hospital transport — often brief, and often at low altitude.

Recent helicopter activity

Jul 25, 10:20 AMLA City FireN703WP · AS501,500–1,575 ft1 minW
Jul 25, 9:44 AMPinto AviationN783AH · R661,000–1,100 ft1 minE
Jul 25, 9:09 AMPrivateN411MB1,600–1,675 ft1 minNW
Jul 24, 8:28 PMPoliceN818PD1,400–1,975 ft17 minNW
Jul 24, 8:11 PMPoliceN818PD1,275–1,600 ft3 minN
Jul 24, 8:06 PMPoliceN818PD1,650–1,725 ft1 minNE
Jul 24, 7:33 PMPoliceN818PD1,200–1,975 ft10 minN
Jul 24, 6:49 PMFire/EMSN822LA1,150–1,575 ft1 minSW
Jul 24, 4:15 PMPrivateN95MG1,700–1,875 ft1 minSE
Jul 24, 2:45 PMPoliceN818PD1,425–1,750 ft2 minSW
Jul 24, 2:23 PMPoliceN818PD1,225–1,925 ft17 minE
Jul 24, 1:56 PMPoliceN818PD1,375–1,675 ft7 minNE
Jul 24, 11:09 AMPrivateN705WP1,250–1,300 ft1 minW
Jul 24, 9:29 AMPoliceN8NF1,300–1,600 ft2 minNW
Jul 24, 6:36 AMLA Co FDN110LA1,300–1,500 ft1 minNW
Jul 24, 12:35 AMPoliceN224KB1,500–1,800 ft3 minNE
Jul 23, 8:34 PMPoliceN226LA775–1,400 ft3 minS
Jul 23, 3:57 PMSheriffN958LA1,375–1,400 ft1 minNW
Jul 23, 1:19 PMPrivateN121NC1,500–1,700 ft1 minNW
Jul 23, 10:38 AMPrivateN703WP1,375–1,425 ft1 minW
Jul 23, 6:58 AMLA Co FDN110LA1,500–1,600 ft1 minNW
Jul 22, 6:16 PMPoliceN818PD1,275–1,650 ft6 minE
Jul 22, 5:46 PMLADWPN704WP1,325–1,850 ft1 minNW
Jul 22, 5:06 PMSheriffN955LA1,150–1,300 ft1 minNW
Jul 22, 3:13 PMPoliceN818PD1,100–1,700 ft9 minNW
Jul 22, 2:58 PMPoliceN818PD1,350–1,450 ft1 minE
Jul 22, 2:49 PMPoliceN818PD1,175–1,525 ft3 minS
Jul 22, 1:29 PMUS ARMY10-72165950–1,125 ft1 minSE
Jul 22, 12:47 PMSky5N925TV1,225–1,350 ft1 minSE
Jul 22, 11:29 AMPoliceN665PD1,650–1,750 ft1 minW
Jul 22, 11:16 AMPoliceN665PD1,950–2,300 ft2 minN
Jul 22, 11:04 AMPoliceN665PD2,125–2,200 ft1 minS
Jul 22, 10:52 AMPoliceN665PD1,875–2,075 ft3 minE
Jul 22, 1:30 AMMercy AirN908KB1,400–1,425 ft1 minSE
Jul 21, 8:45 PMPoliceN818PD1,375–1,675 ft5 minSW
Jul 21, 8:36 PMPoliceN818PD1,200–1,875 ft6 minN
Jul 21, 8:16 PMPoliceN818PD1,200–1,500 ft3 minNE
Jul 21, 7:32 PMPoliceN226LA925–1,325 ft3 minSW
Jul 21, 6:13 PMPoliceN229LA1,100–1,150 ft1 minSE
Jul 21, 5:44 PMPoliceN818PD1,300–1,575 ft3 minW

Nearby coverage

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Helicopters over Glendale: common questions

Why is there a helicopter over Glendale?

Most helicopter activity over Glendale 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 Glendale?

Based on 306 tracked passes over Glendale, the most common hour for helicopter activity is around 3pm 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.