Helicopters over Montecito

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

Checking the sky over Montecito

Map of Montecito, Los AngelesScanning
Scanning for choppers over Montecito — nothing overhead right now. The dashed ring is the 2 km radius this page counts as “over Montecito”; inner rings mark one-third and two-thirds of that distance.
Who's hovering here?View the full live map

The sky over Montecito

34helicopter passes tracked over 19 days
12.5
passes per week
0.3
hours overhead per week
1 PM
busiest hour
Private
most common overhead

By hour of day

12a
3a
6a
9a
12p
3p
6p
9p
Busiest hour: 1p · this hour (11a) has averaged 2 passes historically

Who flies over Montecito

  • Private85%
  • Military9%
  • Sheriff6%

What it usually means

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

Military: Military aircraft are usually transiting between bases or on a training route rather than responding to anything local.

Sheriff (LASD): Sheriff's helicopters typically orbit for a search, a pursuit, or to support deputies on the ground.

Recent helicopter activity

Nearby coverage

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Helicopters over Montecito: common questions

Why is there a helicopter over Montecito?

Most helicopter activity over Montecito 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 Montecito?

Based on 34 tracked passes over Montecito, the most common hour for helicopter activity is around 1pm 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.