Helicopters over San Bernardino

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

Checking the sky over San Bernardino

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

246helicopter passes tracked over 25 days
68.9
passes per week
2.8
hours overhead per week
9 PM
busiest hour
Sheriff
most common overhead

By hour of day

12a
3a
6a
9a
12p
3p
6p
9p
Busiest hour: 9p · this hour (11a) has averaged 8 passes historically

Who flies over San Bernardino

  • Sheriff50%
  • Private36%
  • Police11%
  • Military2%
  • Fire / medical1%
  • Other1%

What it usually means

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

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.

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

Recent helicopter activity

Nearby coverage

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Helicopters over San Bernardino: common questions

Why is there a helicopter over San Bernardino?

Most helicopter activity over San Bernardino 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 San Bernardino?

Based on 246 tracked passes over San Bernardino, the most common hour for helicopter activity is around 9pm 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.