A look at LA's helicopter-noise problem and how the FAA's Heli-Noise-LA website comes up short. 0:40 Heli-Noise-LA's 20% coverage 8:27 Charts 10:09 Full-coverage approximation
That doesn't seem like many helicopters to me. Especially considering that the majority of those helicopters operating at that time are probably EMS or police helicopters operating for the benefit of the residents of Los Angeles.
At the time I made this video, only 20% of helicopters were tracked, so the number of helicopters was grossly underrepresented. Next, helicopters flying to or from EMS are relatively few, and they fly much higher than most. Police helicopters almost always fly below 500ft above ground level, low enough to wake the dead. What little evidence of effectiveness of police helicopters there is shows that any benefit is meager, and there is no reason that they can't get better binoculars and do their joyriding at a higher altitude.
Well, I happen to be very familiar with the volume of EMS helicopter operations. In most major Metro areas the majority of helicopter traffic are EMS flights. As far as Law Enforcement operations, most major Metropolitan communities have less than 8 helicopters (and that is a lot) and rarely keep more than two or three airborne at any given time. I can't speak to the efficacy they provide to law enforcement operations but I suspect that it is significant because helicopters are very expensive to purchase, maintain and insure. If they weren't effective, I doubt most agencies would invest the capital into their use.
+Douglas Hensley LAPD has 18, more than any other police force in the world. The tracking briefly included flight IDs. In the middle of the night, they were almost all police.
Okay so, lets say at night they keep six aircraft airborne at night every night (which I find unlikely). Los Angeles is about 460 square miles. that is 1 helicopter for every 76 square miles of Los Angeles. Again, not too congested in my humble opinion. Besides that, if they are adding to the ability for your police to keep you and your family safe then that might just be a price to pay for your safety and piece of mind. Otherwise, elect council members who will de-fund the aviation department of the police deparment (at your own peril)
How do you know they were police ID's anyway? Police and EMS operators have "discreet" transponder "squawk" codes that are generally not published for obvious reasons.
That doesn't seem like many helicopters to me. Especially considering that the majority of those helicopters operating at that time are probably EMS or police helicopters operating for the benefit of the residents of Los Angeles.
At the time I made this video, only 20% of helicopters were tracked, so the number of helicopters was grossly underrepresented. Next, helicopters flying to or from EMS are relatively few, and they fly much higher than most. Police helicopters almost always fly below 500ft above ground level, low enough to wake the dead. What little evidence of effectiveness of police helicopters there is shows that any benefit is meager, and there is no reason that they can't get better binoculars and do their joyriding at a higher altitude.
Well, I happen to be very familiar with the volume of EMS helicopter operations. In most major Metro areas the majority of helicopter traffic are EMS flights. As far as Law Enforcement operations, most major Metropolitan communities have less than 8 helicopters (and that is a lot) and rarely keep more than two or three airborne at any given time. I can't speak to the efficacy they provide to law enforcement operations but I suspect that it is significant because helicopters are very expensive to purchase, maintain and insure. If they weren't effective, I doubt most agencies would invest the capital into their use.
+Douglas Hensley LAPD has 18, more than any other police force in the world. The tracking briefly included flight IDs. In the middle of the night, they were almost all police.
Okay so, lets say at night they keep six aircraft airborne at night every night (which I find unlikely). Los Angeles is about 460 square miles. that is 1 helicopter for every 76 square miles of Los Angeles. Again, not too congested in my humble opinion. Besides that, if they are adding to the ability for your police to keep you and your family safe then that might just be a price to pay for your safety and piece of mind. Otherwise, elect council members who will de-fund the aviation department of the police deparment (at your own peril)
How do you know they were police ID's anyway? Police and EMS operators have "discreet" transponder "squawk" codes that are generally not published for obvious reasons.