Helicopters over South Whittier

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

Checking the sky over South Whittier

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

165helicopter passes tracked over 25 days
46.2
passes per week
1.4
hours overhead per week
2 PM
busiest hour
Sheriff
most common overhead

By hour of day

12a
3a
6a
9a
12p
3p
6p
9p
Busiest hour: 2p · this hour (11a) has averaged 15 passes historically

Who flies over South Whittier

  • Sheriff58%
  • Private29%
  • CHP6%
  • News2%
  • Police2%
  • Other2%

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.

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

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

Nearby coverage

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Helicopters over South Whittier: common questions

Why is there a helicopter over South Whittier?

Most helicopter activity over South Whittier 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 Whittier?

Based on 165 tracked passes over South Whittier, the most common hour for helicopter activity is around 2pm 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.