Helicopters over Seal Beach
Live helicopter tracking for Seal Beach, Orange County — updated every few seconds.
Seal Beach, Orange County
Checking the sky overhead…
GTLA AirWatch · Live area briefing · positions from ADS-B, rechecked every 20 seconds
Today over Seal Beach
Nothing overhead now. The last helicopter left 19 minutes ago, heading east.
- 1:39pm — Tsunami Skydivers (N290KC) passed through in 1 minute, mid-level.came from Belmont Shore (1:39pm)went on to Sunset Beach (1:41pm)
- 1:20pm — Private / civil N90813 passed through in 2 minutes, low.came from San Pedro (1:17pm)
- 1:19pm — Maverick (N853MH) passed through in 1 minute, low.came from Belmont Shore (1:19pm)went on to Sunset Beach (1:20pm)
- 12:58pm — Private / civil N90813 passed through in 1 minute, low.came from Sunset Beach (12:58pm)went on to Long Beach (1:00pm)
- 12:51pm — Anthelion Helicopters (N995NR) passed through in 1 minute, mid-level.came from Long Beach (12:51pm)went on to Sunset Beach (12:53pm)
Verbs like “held over” and “circled” describe the recorded flight path, not what was happening on the ground. Nothing here states a crime, a fire or a casualty.
3 news helicopters covered Seal Beach for 17 minutes. They have gone.
No station has published anything about this yet. What is above is measured from the aircraft themselves.
- 7:17 PM 3 news helicopters converging over Belmont Shore.
- 7:34 PM ✅ We stopped following this after 17 min.
◉ measured · ◇ inferred · ▣ our newsroom · last tick 7:34 PM PT
Recent incidents over Seal Beach
📺 ABC7: 1 dead in multi-car crash on northbound 405 Freeway in Sepulveda Pass · Belmont Shore
✅ We stopped following this after 17 min. Replay and alerts: gtla.live/i/swarm-belmont-shore-20260907-a638f?src=story
Sep 7, 7:34 PM PT Watch the replay
📺 News Swarm · Belmont Shore
✅ We stopped following this after 20 min. Replay and alerts: gtla.live/i/swarm-belmont-shore-20260906-a638f?src=story
Sep 6, 9:31 PM PT Watch the replay
The sky over Seal Beach
By hour of day
Who flies over Seal Beach
- Private65%
- Military13%
- Police9%
- News9%
- Sheriff2%
- Other1%
The regulars over Seal Beach
The aircraft recorded here most often — the ones you’ll see again.
- VerticalN7072731 recorded visits· usually 12–3pm· last here Fri 2:55 PM
- VerticalN496TP27 recorded visits· usually 3–6pm· last here Mon 2:41 PM
- Huntington Beach PDN682HB24 recorded visits· last here Tue 7:37 PM
- Long Beach PDN29LB22 recorded visits· usually 9pm–12am· last here Sat 10:22 PM
- US ARMY17-2092818 recorded visits· usually 11am–2pm· last here Wed 4:36 PM
Who flies over Seal Beach, by the numbers
Private and charter helicopters over Seal Beach
632 of 971 recorded passes over Seal Beach were private and charter helicopters — 65% of the traffic here, 18.6 hours overhead in total.
Most often: Robinson Helicopter (N145TR), 8 recorded passesusually 12pm–3pmtypically 550–950 ft
Private and charter aircraft are usually in transit, on a tour or a survey flight, and pass through without stopping.
Military helicopters over Seal Beach
131 of 971 recorded passes over Seal Beach were military helicopters — 13% of the traffic here, 4.5 hours overhead in total.
Most often: Mil / CG (17-20928), 13 recorded passestypically 650–1,050 ft
Military aircraft are almost always transiting between bases or on training flights; they rarely orbit a neighborhood.
Police helicopters over Seal Beach
91 of 971 recorded passes over Seal Beach were police helicopters — 9% of the traffic here, 4 hours overhead in total.
Most often: Long Beach PD (N29LB), 11 recorded passesusually 9pm–12amtypically 500–900 ft
Police aircraft typically fly tight, repeated orbits over one spot to support officers on the ground, and can hold for a long time.
News helicopters over Seal Beach
85 of 971 recorded passes over Seal Beach were news helicopters — 9% of the traffic here, 9.1 hours overhead in total.
Most often: ABC NewsCopter (N828AP), 13 recorded passestypically 500–1,000 ft
News helicopters hold a wider circle at a higher altitude and arrive after a story is already underway; several at once usually means something is being covered live.
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.
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.
Recent helicopter activity
- Sep 8, 1:39 PMTsunami SkydiversN290KC · R22900–1,000 ft1 minE
- Sep 8, 1:20 PMPrivate / civilN90813650–700 ft2 minW
- Sep 8, 1:19 PMMaverickN853MH · EC30400–500 ft1 minE
- Sep 8, 12:58 PMPrivate / civilN90813600–625 ft1 minW
- Sep 8, 12:51 PMAnthelion HelicoptersN995NR · R221,500–1,600 ft1 minE
- Sep 8, 11:50 AMMaverickN852MH · EC30500–600 ft1 minW
- Sep 8, 11:40 AMNewsChopper 4N358TV · AS50575–850 ft10 minN
- Sep 8, 10:32 AMPrivate / civilN4031R750–825 ft1 minW
- Sep 8, 10:19 AMPrivate / civilN4031R825–900 ft1 minE
- Sep 8, 10:15 AMLASDN961LA · AS50325–475 ft5 minN
- Sep 8, 9:50 AMABC NewsCopterN828AP · AS50600–700 ft1 minSE
- Sep 8, 9:27 AMMaverickN853MH · EC30300–400 ft1 minW
- Sep 8, 9:20 AMMaverickN852MH · EC30600 ft1 minSE
- Sep 8, 9:18 AMNewsChopper 4N358TV · AS50525–550 ft1 minSE
- Sep 8, 8:59 AMPrivate / civilN90815 · R44650–825 ft2 minNW
- Sep 8, 8:53 AMSky5N925TV · AS50875–1,100 ft13 minW
- Sep 8, 8:19 AMNewsChopper 4N358TV · AS50800–975 ft3 minW
- Sep 8, 8:05 AMPrivate / civilN90815 · R44825–1,050 ft1 minW
- Sep 8, 8:02 AMPrivate / civilN4031R1,000–1,025 ft1 minW
- Sep 8, 7:36 AMPrivate / civilN4031R1,025–1,100 ft1 minE
- Sep 8, 7:33 AMPrivate / civilN90813725–1,300 ft2 minW
- Sep 8, 7:27 AMPrivate / civilN90815 · R44825–925 ft1 minSE
- Sep 8, 7:03 AMSkyCAL / SkyFOX 11N39CL · B407700–1,100 ft6 minNW
- Sep 8, 6:50 AMABC NewsCopterN828AP · AS501,600–1,800 ft1 minNW
- Sep 8, 6:30 AMABC NewsCopterN828AP · AS501,400–2,000 ft14 minSE
- Sep 8, 6:15 AMABC NewsCopterN828AP · AS501,000–1,300 ft4 minNW
- Sep 7, 9:53 PMSky5N925TV · AS501,050–1,350 ft1h 14mN
- Sep 7, 9:52 PMSkyFOX 11 / SkyCALN50Q · B407500–1,100 ft13 minN
- Sep 7, 9:16 PMSkyFOX 11 / SkyCALN50Q · B407900–1,000 ft4 minNW
- Sep 7, 7:32 PMNewsChopper 4N358TV · AS50800–1,275 ft5 minW
- Sep 7, 7:21 PMABC NewsCopterN828AP · AS50900–1,300 ft4 minN
- Sep 7, 7:20 PMSky5N925TV · AS501,175–1,400 ft8 minNE
- Sep 7, 6:07 PMABC NewsCopterN828AP · AS501,300–1,500 ft2 minNW
- Sep 7, 5:54 PMABC NewsCopterN828AP · AS501,100–1,200 ft2 minW
- Sep 7, 5:30 PMSky5N925TV · AS501,175–1,400 ft25 minNW
- Sep 7, 3:16 PMTsunami SkydiversN290KC · R221,100–1,200 ft1 minSE
- Sep 7, 3:01 PMABC NewsCopterN828AP · AS50600–800 ft6 minNW
- Sep 7, 2:56 PMABC NewsCopterN828AP · AS50500 ft2 minNW
- Sep 7, 2:40 PMVerticalN496TP · R22375–625 ft1 minSE
- Sep 7, 1:59 PMVerticalN496TP · R221,875–2,125 ft1 minSE
Nearby coverage
Helicopters over Seal Beach common questions
Why is a police helicopter circling over Seal Beach?
Police helicopters account for 9% of the 971 helicopter passes recorded over Seal Beach. The one you see most is Long Beach PD (N29LB), 11 recorded passes. They are usually 9pm–12am here. They typically fly at 500–900 ft above sea level. Police aircraft typically fly tight, repeated orbits over one spot to support officers on the ground, and can hold for a long time.
Is that a news helicopter over Seal Beach?
News helicopters account for 9% of the 971 helicopter passes recorded over Seal Beach. The one you see most is ABC NewsCopter (N828AP), 13 recorded passes. They typically fly at 500–1,000 ft above sea level. News helicopters hold a wider circle at a higher altitude and arrive after a story is already underway; several at once usually means something is being covered live.
How high do helicopters fly over Seal Beach?
From the passes recorded here: private and charter helicopters at 550–950 ft; military helicopters at 650–1,050 ft; police helicopters at 500–900 ft; news helicopters at 500–1,000 ft. These are the middle half of measured altitudes above sea level for each group, not a floor or a ceiling.
How long do helicopters stay over Seal Beach?
Most passes are brief — a minute or two straight through. The aircraft that stay longest here are private and charter helicopters: 18.6 hours overhead across 632 recorded passes. Private and charter aircraft are usually in transit, on a tour or a survey flight, and pass through without stopping.
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.
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.
More from GTLA
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