Helicopters over Watts

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

Checking the sky over Watts…

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

Who's hovering here?View the full live map

Recent incidents over Watts

📺 ✅ Scene coverage concluded after 21 min — news helicopters departing. Replay + alerts: gtla.live/i/swarm-walnut-park-a40 · Walnut Park
✅ Scene coverage concluded after 21 min — news helicopters departing. Replay + alerts: gtla.live/i/swarm-walnut-park-a4044?src=story
Jul 15, 5:37 PM PT Watch the replay
🚁 News Swarm · Watts
4 news helicopters converging over Watts.
Jul 15, 5:28 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 Watts

346helicopter passes tracked over 25 days

96.9

passes per week

5.7

hours overhead per week

7 PM

busiest hour

Private

most common overhead

By hour of day

12a

12p

Busiest hour: 7p · this hour (11a) has averaged 17 passes historically

Who flies over Watts

Private50%
Police26%
Sheriff14%
News10%
Fire / medical1%

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.

Sheriff (LASD): Sheriff's helicopters typically orbit for a search, a pursuit, or to support deputies on the ground.

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, 9:55 AMLASDN954LA · AS50100 ft1 minE
Jul 24, 10:06 PMNewsChopper 4N358TV800–975 ft2 minN
Jul 24, 8:01 PMSheriffN950LA575–675 ft1 minE
Jul 24, 7:53 PMPrivateN329JK725–775 ft1 minS
Jul 24, 7:44 PMPrivateN329JK675–725 ft1 minN
Jul 24, 7:21 PMPrivateN329JK700–725 ft1 minS
Jul 24, 7:11 PMPrivateN329JK675–750 ft1 minN
Jul 24, 6:29 PMPrivateN995NR900–1,000 ft1 minS
Jul 24, 6:17 PMPrivateN995NR900–1,000 ft1 minN
Jul 24, 5:44 PMPrivateN329JK650–700 ft1 minS
Jul 24, 4:28 PMPrivateN365PA1,475–1,575 ft1 minW
Jul 24, 1:30 PMPrivateN329JK600–625 ft1 minS
Jul 24, 1:17 PMPrivateN329JK600–625 ft1 minN
Jul 24, 1:08 PMPrivateN329JK625–650 ft1 minS
Jul 24, 12:54 PMPrivateN329JK675–700 ft1 minN
Jul 24, 11:27 AMPoliceN226LA575–625 ft1 minN
Jul 24, 11:17 AMPrivateN338JD800–975 ft1 minN
Jul 24, 10:03 AMPoliceN233LA550–625 ft1 minS
Jul 24, 8:58 AMPrivateN821JP1,025–1,075 ft1 minN
Jul 24, 7:48 AMSheriffN958LA225 ft14 minW
Jul 24, 12:31 AMPoliceN223LA500–600 ft1 minE
Jul 23, 9:27 PMPoliceN233LA400–500 ft6 minN
Jul 23, 8:02 PMPrivateN329JK775–800 ft1 minS
Jul 23, 7:58 PMPrivateN744HS900 ft1 minS
Jul 23, 7:53 PMPrivateN329JK725–750 ft1 minN
Jul 23, 7:44 PMPrivateN744HS900–1,000 ft1 minN
Jul 23, 7:15 PMPoliceN226LA475–675 ft13 minS
Jul 23, 6:55 PMSkyFOX 11 / SkyCALN50Q800–900 ft1 minW
Jul 23, 6:42 PMPrivateN329JK700–750 ft1 minS
Jul 23, 6:32 PMPrivateN329JK675–725 ft1 minN
Jul 23, 4:55 PMPoliceN233LA600–725 ft4 minN
Jul 23, 4:54 PMPrivateN329JK650–725 ft1 minS
Jul 23, 4:43 PMPoliceN233LA525–750 ft5 minSW
Jul 23, 4:38 PMPrivateN329JK675–700 ft1 minN
Jul 23, 2:50 PMPrivateN544FA1,000–1,025 ft1 minS
Jul 23, 1:16 PMPrivateN365PA1,675–1,775 ft1 minW
Jul 23, 11:07 AMSheriffN959LA250 ft10 minNE
Jul 23, 12:18 AMSheriffN950LA400–650 ft21 minE
Jul 22, 9:15 PMSkyFOX 11 / SkyCALN50Q1,000–1,100 ft1 minE
Jul 22, 2:04 PMABC NewsCopterN828AP800–1,000 ft1 minN

Nearby coverage

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Helicopters over Watts: common questions

Why is there a helicopter over Watts?

Most helicopter activity over Watts 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 Watts?

Based on 346 tracked passes over Watts, the most common hour for helicopter activity is around 7pm 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.