Helicopters over Sylmar

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

Checking the sky over Sylmar…

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

Who's hovering here?View the full live map

Recent incidents over Sylmar

📺 ✅ Scene coverage concluded after 15 min — news helicopters departing. Replay + alerts: gtla.live/i/swarm-mission-hills-a · Mission Hills
✅ Scene coverage concluded after 15 min — news helicopters departing. Replay + alerts: gtla.live/i/swarm-mission-hills-a4044?src=story
Jun 23, 7:45 PM PT

The sky over Sylmar

124helicopter passes tracked over 25 days

34.7

passes per week

1.7

hours overhead per week

10 AM

busiest hour

Private

most common overhead

By hour of day

12a

12p

Busiest hour: 10a · this hour (11a) has averaged 12 passes historically

Who flies over Sylmar

Private36%
Police29%
Fire / medical16%
News16%
Military2%
Other1%

What it usually means

Private / civil: Private and civil helicopters are usually in transit, on a charter, or on a survey flight.

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.

Fire / medical: Fire and air-medical helicopters mean a fire response, a rescue, or a hospital transport — often brief, and often at low altitude.

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

Jul 25, 10:37 AMLA City FireN703WP · AS501,500–1,875 ft2 minW
Jul 25, 9:16 AMPrivateN411MB2,750–3,125 ft1 minNW
Jul 25, 9:15 AMPrivateN23HS2,675–3,150 ft1 minNW
Jul 25, 8:37 AMPoliceN226LA1,500–1,575 ft1 minW
Jul 24, 6:51 PMPrivateN844AT1,725–2,000 ft1 minSE
Jul 24, 3:22 PMPrivateN95MG2,225–2,475 ft1 minSE
Jul 24, 9:52 AMFire/EMSN822LA1,600–1,875 ft1 minNW
Jul 24, 1:06 AMPoliceN223LA1,850–1,975 ft2 minSW
Jul 23, 8:15 PMPoliceN223LA1,425–1,675 ft41 minE
Jul 23, 5:59 PMPrivateN703WP1,975–2,125 ft1 minW
Jul 23, 4:45 PMLA Co FDN76CG2,300–2,900 ft1 minNE
Jul 23, 10:57 AMPrivateN703WP1,725–2,175 ft2 minW
Jul 22, 5:55 PMLADWPN704WP1,800–1,950 ft1 minW
Jul 22, 12:27 PMPoliceN226LA1,850–1,950 ft1 minW
Jul 21, 11:01 AMPrivateN705WP1,575–1,725 ft1 minSW
Jul 20, 8:08 PMPoliceN226LA1,575–1,750 ft2 minSE
Jul 20, 6:47 PMFire/EMSN302FD1,700–1,775 ft1 minE
Jul 20, 1:52 PMPoliceN226LA1,450–1,600 ft3 minSE
Jul 20, 10:14 AMPrivateN703WP1,600–1,900 ft1 minSW
Jul 20, 12:32 AMPoliceN213PF1,700–2,250 ft6 minS
Jul 19, 9:49 PMPoliceN224LA1,650–1,775 ft1 minSW
Jul 19, 10:37 AMLADWPN704WP1,550–1,825 ft1 minSW
Jul 18, 1:47 PMPoliceN230LA1,450–1,800 ft11 minE
Jul 18, 1:30 PMPoliceN230LA1,375–1,800 ft8 minE
Jul 18, 11:44 AMLADWPN704WP1,575–1,925 ft1 minW
Jul 18, 2:10 AMPoliceN668PD1,525–1,775 ft4 minSE
Jul 18, 12:57 AMPoliceN213PF1,600–1,775 ft1 minS
Jul 17, 4:24 PMFire/EMSN305FD1,875–1,900 ft1 minE
Jul 17, 10:16 AMPoliceN668PD1,500–1,675 ft4 minS
Jul 17, 10:01 AMLADWPN704WP1,800–2,000 ft1 minSW
Jul 17, 12:19 AMPoliceN226LA1,775–2,025 ft8 minSE
Jul 16, 5:39 PMPrivateN703WP1,975–2,000 ft1 minW
Jul 16, 4:55 PMPrivateN323CH3,900–4,200 ft1 minSE
Jul 16, 4:33 PMSoCal EdisonN413CE1,800–1,950 ft2 minSE
Jul 16, 2:55 PMPrivateN323CH4,200–4,600 ft1 minNW
Jul 16, 11:47 AMFire/EMSN120LA1,600–2,000 ft4 minSE
Jul 16, 10:39 AMFire/EMSN120LA2,200–2,400 ft4 minW
Jul 16, 10:38 AMPrivateN703WP1,675–2,100 ft1 minW
Jul 16, 10:13 AMNewsChopper 4N358TV1,650–2,100 ft1 minS
Jul 15, 10:25 PMPoliceN224LA1,500–1,600 ft1 minW

Nearby coverage

All neighborhoods →

Helicopters over Sylmar: common questions

Why is there a helicopter over Sylmar?

Most helicopter activity over Sylmar 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 Sylmar?

Based on 124 tracked passes over Sylmar, the most common hour for helicopter activity is around 10am 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.