Helicopters over Pacoima

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

Checking the sky over Pacoima

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

Recent incidents over Pacoima

The sky over Pacoima

633helicopter passes tracked over 25 days
177.2
passes per week
14
hours overhead per week
10 AM
busiest hour
Fire / medical
most common overhead

By hour of day

12a
3a
6a
9a
12p
3p
6p
9p
Busiest hour: 10a · this hour (11a) has averaged 54 passes historically

Who flies over Pacoima

  • Fire / medical39%
  • News37%
  • Private19%
  • Police5%
  • Military0%

What it usually means

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

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.

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.

Recent helicopter activity

Nearby coverage

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Helicopters over Pacoima: common questions

Why is there a helicopter over Pacoima?

Most helicopter activity over Pacoima 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 Pacoima?

Based on 633 tracked passes over Pacoima, the most common hour for helicopter activity is around 10am 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.