Tap the button, or type a ZIP code, city or airport. A live radar opens with the helicopters near you, plus a link to listen to your local police scanner.
Live positions from adsb.lol (open data, ODbL), for aircraft that broadcast publicly. Not for navigation.
A helicopter circling a neighborhood is most often police searching for someone or watching an incident, a TV news crew covering a story, or a medical helicopter getting ready to land at a hospital or scene. Tap the button to see the helicopters within 25 miles of you right now: what model each one is, how high it’s flying, and whether it’s circling. For many, you can look up who owns it.
Why helicopters circle
Police
Police helicopters circle to search for a person or vehicle, follow a pursuit from above, or watch over an incident for officers on the ground. They often orbit the same spot for 15 minutes or more, sometimes at night with a searchlight.
TV news
News helicopters hover or circle over traffic crashes, fires, police activity and big events so cameras can stay on the scene. If several helicopters are circling the same area, news crews are often among them.
Medical (air ambulance)
Medical helicopters usually fly straight to a hospital or crash scene, but they may circle once or twice to check the landing area before setting down.
Power line and pipeline checks
Utility helicopters fly low and slow along power lines and pipelines, which can look like they’re hovering over your street for a while.
Training, tours and photos
Flight schools practice turns and hovering, and tour and photo flights circle landmarks. Smaller models like the Robinson R22 and R44 are common for this.
Military
Military helicopters such as Black Hawks and Chinooks train along set routes, sometimes low and in groups, especially near bases.
How to find out who it is
Use the live list above. Many helicopters show a registration number starting with N. Tap Who owns it? to open the FAA’s public aircraft registry, which lists the owner, such as a sheriff’s office, a hospital air ambulance company or a TV station. Local police and news outlets often post about incidents on social media too. Please don’t call 911 just to ask about a helicopter; use your police department’s non-emergency number.
Listen to the police scanner
To hear what’s going on, many police, sheriff and fire departments can be heard live on free scanner feeds run by volunteers on Broadcastify ↗. After you search above, we link straight to the scanner feeds for your county, so you can pick the police or sheriff feed. Some departments encrypt their radio, so not every agency can be heard.
Why some helicopters don’t show up
This page shows aircraft that broadcast their position publicly. Some government aircraft, including some police and military helicopters, don’t, so you may hear a helicopter that isn’t on the list.
Is it allowed to fly that low?
FAA rules let helicopters fly lower than airplanes as long as they don’t create a hazard to people or property on the ground. Police, medical and utility flights often need to be low to do their work. For noise concerns, the FAA has a noise complaint page, and many airports have their own noise office.
Thank the people keeping them safe
Air traffic controllers keep helicopters, airliners and small planes safely apart, often in the same busy sky over your neighborhood. The live list shows which tower and center are watching your area. Leave them a free thank-you. It takes 30 seconds.
Common questions
Why is a helicopter circling my neighborhood?
Most often it’s police searching for someone or watching an incident, a TV news crew covering a story, or a medical helicopter preparing to land. Utility inspections, flight training and tours also circle. The live list on this page shows the helicopters near you and whether they’re circling.
Why is a police helicopter circling my area?
Police helicopters circle to search for a person or vehicle, follow a pursuit from above, or watch over an incident so officers on the ground know where to go. They can stay over the same few blocks for a while before moving on.
Why are there so many helicopters in my area?
Several helicopters over the same spot usually means a big incident, such as a fire, a crash or police activity, with police and TV news crews circling together. Check local news or the police department’s social media for what’s happening.
Why is a helicopter circling at night?
At night it’s most often a police helicopter searching for a person or vehicle, usually with a searchlight or infrared camera. Medical helicopters also fly at night, but they normally head straight to a hospital or scene.
How can I tell if it’s a police helicopter?
Look up its registration number (it starts with N) in the FAA’s public registry; this page links to it. The owner is often listed as a city, county, sheriff’s office or state agency. Some police helicopters don’t broadcast their position, so they won’t appear on any public tracker.
Why was a helicopter circling my area last night?
This page shows helicopters live, right now, so it can’t replay last night. Local police, the sheriff’s office and local news often post about overnight incidents on social media, and some flight-tracking websites keep a history of past flights.
Can I track a helicopter for free?
Yes. This page shows helicopters within 25 miles of you that broadcast their position, using free open data. Tap “See its path” to follow one on a free public map.
Why doesn’t the helicopter I hear show up here?
Some government aircraft, including some police and military helicopters, don’t broadcast their position publicly. It may also be flying low behind buildings or terrain, where receivers can’t pick it up.
Why are helicopters allowed to fly so low?
FAA rules let helicopters fly lower than airplanes as long as they don’t create a hazard to people or property on the ground. Police, medical, news and utility flights often need to be low to do their work.