Helicopters of DC

A viewing guide to the helicopters flying over Washington, DC

Be sure to also check out the fantastic CopterSpotter program (Twitter | Telegram|Annual Report), which shares live reports of sightings. More details below.

Commonly Seen

US Marine Corps: HMX-1 Squadron US Marine Corps: HMX-1 Squadron
US Park Police: Aviation Unit US Park Police: Aviation Unit
Metropolitan Police Department: Air Support Unit Metropolitan Police Department: Air Support Unit
US Coast Guard: Air Station Atlantic City US Coast Guard: Air Station Atlantic City
US Army: 12th Aviation Battalion US Army: 12th Aviation Battalion
US Air Force: 1st Helicopter Squadron US Air Force: 1st Helicopter Squadron
US Customs and Border Patrol: Air and Marine Operations US Customs and Border Patrol: Air and Marine Operations
Washington Hospital Center: MedSTAR Washington Hospital Center: MedSTAR
Childrens National: SkyBear Childrens National: SkyBear
Maryland State Police Maryland State Police

DC’s Community Helicopter Tracking Platform

Since 2020 Andrew Logan’s CopterSpotter system (@HelicoptersofDC on Twitter/Telegram) has collected over 17,000 user submitted helicopter sightings. In April 2022 they rolled out a computer vision program that gives instant answers to residents wondering “What’s that helicopter?” You can browse their dataset above, or hit the “+” to submit a sighting. You can learn more about the project in Andrew’s Def Con Talk.

Photo Credits for this page

Washington Hospital Center: MedSTAR US Army: 12th Aviation Battalion
Metropolitan Police Department: Air Support Unit US Coast Guard: Air Station Atlantic City
Childrens National: SkyBear US Marine Corps: HMX-1 Squadron
US Air Force: 1st Helicopter Squadron US Park Police: Aviation Unit

Disclaimers