Helicopter tracker

That helicopter circling your neighbourhood? Wingwait's Helis filter strips the map down to rotorcraft only — police units, air ambulances, coastguard, survey and private helicopters — each drawn with a proper rotor symbol and identified by type: Robinson R44, Airbus H135, Leonardo AW139 and friends.

Why helicopters are the interesting ones

Airliners fly straight lines; helicopters tell stories. A police heli orbiting a point, an air ambulance running direct to a hospital pad, a coastguard search pattern off the coast — the flight path itself is the news. Tap any of them for altitude, speed, heading and (where the operator publishes it) a photo of the exact aircraft.

Coverage honesty

Helicopters fly low, and ADS-B is line-of-sight, so coverage depends on volunteer receivers nearby. In towns and cities you'll see most of them; in remote hills, fewer. Some police units also broadcast without identity — you'll see the aircraft but not its details.