Helicopters over South Gate
Live helicopter tracking for South Gate, Los Angeles — updated every few seconds.
Checking the sky over South Gate…
Recent incidents over South Gate
- 🚨 News helicopters NewsChopper 4 and AIR7 are orbiting over Sun Valley as firefighters battle the Pointe Fire in nearby Santa Clarita. · 33.930, -118.182
✅ Story coverage concluded after 16 min — aircraft breaking off. Replay + alerts: gtla.live/i/breaking-la--617?src=story
Jul 15, 5:07 PM PT Watch the replay
- 🚁 News Swarm · Lynwood
2 news helicopters converging over Lynwood.
Jul 5, 8:26 PM PT
- 🚨 Los Angeles police are pursuing a suspected hit-and-run driver in the Watts area of South LA. · Watts
SkyCAL / SkyFOX 11 + AIR7 tracking the pursuit · verified via grok
Jul 2, 9:21 PM PT
The sky over South Gate
By hour of day
Who flies over South Gate
- Sheriff73%
- Private12%
- News10%
- Police4%
- Military0%
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.
News helicopter: News helicopters usually mean live coverage of a developing story — a pursuit, a fire, or a scene the station is broadcasting.
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
- Jul 25, 10:10 AMLASDN954LA · AS50300–500 ft5 minNE
- Jul 25, 9:57 AMLASDN954LA · AS50400 ft1 minN
- Jul 25, 9:33 AMLASDN957LA · AS50800–900 ft1 minN
- Jul 25, 9:33 AMSheriffN957LA800–900 ft1 minN
- Jul 24, 8:00 PMSheriffN950LA675–750 ft1 minW
- Jul 24, 5:57 PMPoliceN224LA775–825 ft1 minN
- Jul 24, 5:56 PMSkyFOX 11 / SkyCALN50Q1,300–1,500 ft1 minSE
- Jul 24, 5:53 PMAIR7N71HD850–1,075 ft1 minSE
- Jul 24, 5:44 PMPoliceN224LA725–850 ft1 minS
- Jul 24, 4:36 PMPrivateN535DE800–925 ft1 minS
- Jul 24, 2:07 PMSheriffN958LA725–750 ft1 minSE
- Jul 24, 11:47 AMSheriffN958LA825–1,000 ft3 minSE
- Jul 24, 11:35 AMSheriffN958LA725–775 ft1 minS
- Jul 24, 9:44 AMPrivateN850MH900–1,000 ft1 minN
- Jul 24, 7:34 AMSheriffN958LA1,000–1,050 ft1 minNE
- Jul 24, 6:32 AMSheriffN958LA950–1,000 ft1 minS
- Jul 24, 12:45 AMPoliceN223LA700–825 ft1 minN
- Jul 24, 12:34 AMPoliceN226LA875–1,025 ft3 minNW
- Jul 24, 12:27 AMSheriffN950LA825 ft1 minSW
- Jul 24, 12:17 AMSheriffN950LA825 ft1 minSE
- Jul 23, 11:30 PMSheriffN950LA750 ft1 minNE
- Jul 23, 11:10 PMSheriffN950LA750–775 ft1 minN
- Jul 23, 5:35 PMSheriffN950LA875–900 ft1 minSE
- Jul 23, 5:22 PMSheriffN950LA875–900 ft1 minSE
- Jul 23, 4:28 PMSheriffN959LA700–775 ft1 minNE
- Jul 23, 3:44 PMSheriffN959LA775–825 ft1 minSW
- Jul 23, 2:54 PMPoliceN232LA675–725 ft1 minN
- Jul 23, 12:21 PMPrivateN944AM725 ft3 minNW
- Jul 23, 11:17 AMSheriffN959LA625–725 ft1 minE
- Jul 23, 11:05 AMSheriffN959LA600–700 ft1 minSW
- Jul 23, 10:32 AMSheriffN959LA700–725 ft1 minSW
- Jul 23, 12:52 AMSheriffN950LA700–825 ft4 minSE
- Jul 23, 12:39 AMSheriffN950LA650–700 ft1 minE
- Jul 23, 12:13 AMSheriffN950LA500–925 ft4 minW
- Jul 22, 11:16 PMSheriffN950LA700–725 ft1 minSW
- Jul 22, 10:52 PMSheriffN950LA575–650 ft1 minSW
- Jul 22, 10:35 PMSheriffN950LA675–700 ft1 minN
- Jul 22, 9:55 PMPrivateN644WB1,500–1,550 ft1 minSE
- Jul 22, 8:31 PMPrivateN644WB1,175–1,200 ft1 minNW
- Jul 22, 7:38 PMSheriffN950LA750–775 ft1 minS
Nearby coverage
Helicopters over South Gate: common questions
Why is there a helicopter over South Gate?
Most helicopter activity over South Gate 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 South Gate?
Based on 372 tracked passes over South Gate, the most common hour for helicopter activity is around 5pm 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.