Helicopters over South LA

Live helicopter tracking for South LA, Los Angeles County — updated every few seconds.

Area briefing

South LA, Los Angeles County

Checking the sky overhead…

GTLA AirWatch · Live area briefing · positions from ADS-B, rechecked every 20 seconds

Map of South LA, Los Angeles County
Scanning
Live map — checking for helicopters over South LA… The dashed ring is the 3.5 km radius this page counts as “over South LA”; inner rings mark one-third and two-thirds of that distance.

Today over South LA

Nothing overhead now — quiet for the last 3 hours.

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.

Who's hovering here?View the full live map

Recent incidents over South LA

The sky over South LA

659helicopter passes tracked over 66 days
69.9
passes per week
6.3
hours overhead per week
9 PM
busiest hour
Police
most common overhead

By hour of day

12a
3a
6a
9a
12p
3p
6p
9p
Busiest hour: 9p · this hour (2p) has averaged 24 passes historically

Who flies over South LA

  • Police96%
  • Sheriff3%
  • Private1%
  • CHP0%
  • News0%

The regulars over South LA

The aircraft recorded here most often — the ones you’ll see again.

Who flies over South LA, by the numbers

Police helicopters over South LA

633 of 659 recorded passes over South LA were police helicopters — 96% of the traffic here, 57 hours overhead in total.

Most often: LAPD (N221LA), 36 recorded passestypically 400–550 ft

Police aircraft typically fly tight, repeated orbits over one spot to support officers on the ground, and can hold for a long time.

Sheriff's helicopters over South LA

17 of 659 recorded passes over South LA were sheriff's helicopters — 3% of the traffic here, 1.8 hours overhead in total.

Sheriff's aircraft fly patrol, search and rescue across the county, and orbit a scene the same way police aircraft do.

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.

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.

CHP: CHP aircraft are usually working a freeway incident, a pursuit, or a traffic investigation.

Recent helicopter activity

Nearby coverage

All neighborhoods →

Helicopters over South LA common questions

Why is a police helicopter circling over South LA?

Police helicopters account for 96% of the 659 helicopter passes recorded over South LA. The one you see most is LAPD (N221LA), 36 recorded passes. They typically fly at 400–550 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 sheriff's helicopter over South LA?

Sheriff's helicopters account for 3% of the 659 helicopter passes recorded over South LA. Sheriff's aircraft fly patrol, search and rescue across the county, and orbit a scene the same way police aircraft do.

How high do helicopters fly over South LA?

From the passes recorded here: police helicopters at 400–550 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 South LA?

Most passes are brief — a minute or two straight through. The aircraft that stay longest here are police helicopters: 57 hours overhead across 633 recorded passes. Police aircraft typically fly tight, repeated orbits over one spot to support officers on the ground, and can hold for a long time.

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 LA?

Based on 659 tracked passes over South LA, 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.

More from GTLA

Your way into GTLA.

From the aircraft overhead to the story on your block.