Helicopters over Pacific Palisades
Live helicopter tracking for Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles — updated every few seconds.
Checking the sky over Pacific Palisades…
Recent incidents over Pacific Palisades
- 📺 ✅ Scene coverage concluded after 29 min — news helicopters departing. Replay + alerts: gtla.live/i/swarm-pacific-palisad · Pacific Palisades
✅ Scene coverage concluded after 29 min — news helicopters departing. Replay + alerts: gtla.live/i/swarm-pacific-palisades-a480a?src=story
Jul 16, 9:22 AM PT Watch the replay
The sky over Pacific Palisades
By hour of day
Who flies over Pacific Palisades
- Police44%
- Private34%
- News13%
- Sheriff5%
- Fire / medical2%
- Other1%
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.
Private / civil: Private and civil helicopters are usually in transit, on a charter, or on a survey flight.
News helicopter: News helicopters usually mean live coverage of a developing story — a pursuit, a fire, or a scene the station is broadcasting.
Sheriff (LASD): Sheriff's helicopters typically orbit for a search, a pursuit, or to support deputies on the ground.
Recent helicopter activity
- Jul 25, 11:04 AMLAPDN224LA · AS50400–850 ft3 minS
- Jul 25, 9:45 AMLASDN957LA · AS50500–800 ft1 minW
- Jul 25, 9:13 AMPrivateN703WP1,550–1,625 ft1 minNE
- Jul 25, 12:16 AMPoliceN230LA525–1,125 ft2 minSE
- Jul 24, 6:40 PMPoliceN230LA500–975 ft2 minSE
- Jul 24, 6:09 PMPrivateN850MH1,500–1,600 ft1 minNE
- Jul 24, 5:07 PMPoliceN226LA400–900 ft3 minE
- Jul 24, 4:04 PMPoliceN224LA1,000–1,025 ft1 minW
- Jul 24, 1:54 PMPrivateN338JD650–975 ft1 minE
- Jul 24, 1:29 PMSkyCAL / SkyFOX 11N39CL700–1,300 ft3 minN
- Jul 24, 1:13 PMSkyCAL / SkyFOX 11N39CL600–700 ft8 minSE
- Jul 24, 11:43 AMPoliceN224LA650–1,150 ft1 minNE
- Jul 24, 11:30 AMPrivateN338JD900–1,175 ft1 minSW
- Jul 24, 11:28 AMPoliceN224LA975–1,100 ft1 minW
- Jul 24, 6:48 AMFire/EMSN822LA800–875 ft1 minNE
- Jul 24, 12:58 AMPoliceN226LA775–1,075 ft2 minSE
- Jul 23, 8:02 PMPoliceN223LA425–1,100 ft2 minNE
- Jul 23, 5:46 PMPrivateN108LG725–1,125 ft1 minSW
- Jul 23, 5:35 PMPoliceN233LA700–1,100 ft3 minN
- Jul 23, 2:54 PMPoliceN223LA350–950 ft22 minW
- Jul 23, 1:38 PMPoliceN223LA750–1,000 ft2 minW
- Jul 23, 12:50 PMPrivateN825VJ1,100–1,500 ft1 minNE
- Jul 23, 12:26 PMPoliceN233LA850–1,050 ft2 minW
- Jul 23, 11:59 AMPrivateN4043P1,325–1,400 ft1 minW
- Jul 23, 10:03 AMPrivateN703WP1,600–1,750 ft1 minNE
- Jul 23, 9:40 AMPoliceN223LA775–900 ft1 minNE
- Jul 23, 9:37 AMPoliceN232LA450–1,000 ft2 minSE
- Jul 22, 5:31 PMPoliceN233LA950–975 ft1 minW
- Jul 22, 4:00 PMPoliceN226LA600–1,000 ft1 minSW
- Jul 22, 3:31 PMAIR7N71HD875–1,400 ft2 minS
- Jul 22, 2:37 PMPoliceN232LA425–975 ft5 minE
- Jul 22, 12:58 PMPoliceN226LA1,150–1,225 ft1 minE
- Jul 22, 11:02 AMPoliceN226LA775–1,000 ft2 minN
- Jul 21, 6:48 PMPoliceN233LA550–1,025 ft1 minS
- Jul 21, 3:37 PMPoliceN226LA675–825 ft1 minSW
- Jul 21, 3:37 PMSheriffN962LA900–1,200 ft2 minW
- Jul 21, 3:18 PMPoliceN232LA225–950 ft4 minE
- Jul 21, 3:08 PMPrivateN76EX1,300–1,400 ft1 minNE
- Jul 21, 2:26 PMFire/EMSN822LA1,075–1,150 ft1 minE
- Jul 21, 11:38 AMABC NewsCopterN828AP900–1,200 ft1 minW
Nearby coverage
Helicopters over Pacific Palisades: common questions
Why is there a helicopter over Pacific Palisades?
Most helicopter activity over Pacific Palisades 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 Pacific Palisades?
Based on 209 tracked passes over Pacific Palisades, the most common hour for helicopter activity is around 11am 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.