Helicopters over South LA
Live helicopter tracking for South LA, Los Angeles — updated every few seconds.
Checking the sky over South LA…
Recent incidents over South LA
- 🚨 LAPD pursues burglary suspects eastbound on Stocker Street at Crenshaw in South Los Angeles. · South LA
✅ Pursuit coverage concluded after 8 min — aircraft breaking off. Replay + alerts: gtla.live/i/pursuit-south-la--618?src=story
Jul 15, 5:22 PM PT Watch the replay
The sky over South LA
By hour of day
Who flies over South LA
- Police97%
- Sheriff2%
- Private1%
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.
Recent helicopter activity
- Jul 25, 10:06 AMLAPDN226LA · AS50475–625 ft1 minE
- Jul 25, 9:17 AMPoliceN230LA425–600 ft2 minNE
- Jul 25, 7:49 AMPoliceN230LA600–675 ft1 minNE
- Jul 24, 7:21 PMPoliceN230LA575–675 ft3 minNE
- Jul 24, 5:29 PMPoliceN226LA500–575 ft1 minS
- Jul 24, 2:38 PMPoliceN229LA475–625 ft7 minNW
- Jul 23, 10:28 PMPoliceN233LA400–600 ft6 minN
- Jul 23, 9:20 PMPoliceN233LA350–600 ft4 minN
- Jul 23, 8:52 PMPoliceN233LA400–600 ft6 minW
- Jul 23, 6:51 PMSheriffN950LA525–575 ft1 minS
- Jul 23, 4:04 PMPoliceN233LA475–775 ft13 minN
- Jul 23, 10:20 AMPoliceN232LA625–650 ft1 minE
- Jul 23, 2:41 AMPoliceN233LA500–725 ft1 minS
- Jul 23, 2:23 AMPoliceN233LA600–700 ft4 minS
- Jul 23, 2:12 AMPoliceN233LA550–650 ft1 minN
- Jul 23, 2:06 AMPoliceN233LA650–700 ft1 minW
- Jul 22, 5:12 PMPoliceN233LA650–675 ft1 minNE
- Jul 22, 5:04 PMPoliceN233LA525–600 ft2 minN
- Jul 22, 1:32 PMPoliceN232LA475–525 ft3 minN
- Jul 22, 10:44 AMPoliceN232LA450–550 ft1 minS
- Jul 22, 10:05 AMPoliceN232LA375–525 ft3 minN
- Jul 22, 12:21 AMPoliceN226LA450–500 ft1 minE
- Jul 21, 8:57 PMPoliceN229LA450–600 ft1 minNW
- Jul 21, 8:20 PMPoliceN226LA450–525 ft1 minNE
- Jul 21, 5:06 PMPoliceN230LA300–500 ft3 minNE
- Jul 21, 11:14 AMPoliceN226LA350–450 ft2 minNW
- Jul 21, 9:10 AMPoliceN232LA450–550 ft2 minW
- Jul 21, 12:21 AMPoliceN226LA400–825 ft12 minN
- Jul 20, 8:57 PMPoliceN233LA425–600 ft3 minW
- Jul 20, 5:23 PMPoliceN233LA400–525 ft1 minN
- Jul 20, 5:04 PMPoliceN233LA500–550 ft1 minS
- Jul 20, 4:26 PMPoliceN224LA475–525 ft1 minS
- Jul 20, 9:51 AMPoliceN230LA450–475 ft1 minS
- Jul 20, 8:41 AMPoliceN230LA325–450 ft1 minSE
- Jul 20, 12:14 AMPoliceN213PF300–675 ft7 minN
- Jul 19, 10:01 PMPoliceN230LA500–625 ft4 minE
- Jul 19, 9:48 PMPoliceN230LA375–625 ft5 minN
- Jul 19, 2:04 PMPoliceN213PF575–775 ft3 minE
- Jul 19, 1:59 PMPoliceN213PF625–775 ft2 minNE
- Jul 18, 8:55 PMPoliceN224LA400–450 ft1 minS
Nearby coverage
Helicopters over South LA: common questions
Why is there a helicopter over South LA?
Most helicopter activity over South LA 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 LA?
Based on 147 tracked passes over South LA, 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.