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Helicopters of DC

@helicoptersofdc.bsky.social
1.4K followers 289 following 424 posts

Washington D.C.'s community based flight tracking platform copterspotter.com

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Reposted by Helicopters of DC
Matt Blaze @mattblaze.federate.social.ap.brid.gy · 23/09/2026
Two fighter jet flyovers scheduled over the White House this week - one at 5pm today and another at noon tomorrow. These are incredibly loud and, if you aren't expecting them, frightening.
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
www.msn.com/en-us/techno...
msn.com
MSN
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I spent last weekend creating something phenomenally stupid lmin.us
lmin.us
Lmin.us - Rocket Launch Predictions
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Great piece by @alanhenney.bsky.social “The Air Force has activated a second helicopter squadron at Joint Base Andrews, beginning a gradual transition from the familiar Bell UH-1N Twin Huey to the larger and more modern Lockheed Martin Sikorsky HH-60W Jolly Green II.”
wjla.com
Jolly Green II helicopters to join familiar Hueys over Washington, DC
A new squadron at Joint Base Andrews will help carry out the region’s crisis-response mission while transitioning from Hueys to HH-60W helicopters.
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
nytimes.com
Helicopter Carrying Trump Flies Near Passenger Jet in Washington Airspace (Gift Article)
Marine One, the helicopter that ferries the president, came within less than a mile of an Envoy Air flight on Tuesday, raising new concerns about air traffic control in the congested area.
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
We’re looking forward to your spots and images of the helicopters in town for July 4th on copterspotter.com ! Flyovers are scheduled all day and into the night, see the special notice downtown on the link above for the full flyover schedule.
copterspotter.com
CopterSpotter
HelicoptersofDC's crowd-sourced heli tracking system.
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
The North American Aerospace Detense Command (NORAD) will conduct routine live-fly exercises over the National Capital Region between June 30 and July 2 from midnight to 5:30 a.m. Expect low flying aircraft, loud noises. - editorial note: if this is “Falcon Virgo” most people don’t notice…
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
🚨 The US Military has notified the District of Columbia that it will conduct aircraft flyovers near the National Mall from June 24 to July 10 as a part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations. While there may be an increase in air traffic noise, there is no cause for alarm. evbg.co/6aqy49
evbg.co
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Reposted by Helicopters of DC
Marty Taylor @realmartyt7.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
youtube.com/post/Ugkxs91... #PB #USD Trump’s ugly ass UFC lighting rig is not only an insult to July4, it is a danger to aviation. Pilots flying into DCA have been blinded by lasers and other high intensity lights. I checked NOTAMS issued by FAA, no light danger was listed. Tragedy in the making
youtube.com
Post from Aaron Parnas - YouTube
BREAKING: A pilot has filed safety reports tonight after being nearly blinded by Trump’s UFC structure while flying into D.C. This is the same airspace still...
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
🚨 The US Military will conduct an Aircraft Flyover in the NCR over the Lincoln Memorial Thursday, June 11, at approximately 11AM. For more info evbg.co/iui2xr .
evbg.co
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
F-16 activity from May 19th www.dvidshub.net/news/565668/...
dvidshub.net
NORAD INTERCEPTS AIRCRAFT VIOLATING RESTRICTED AIRSPACE OVER NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) F-16 fighter aircraft from the Continental U.S. NORAD Region (CONR) intercepted a general aviation aircraft that violated the restricted airspace over ...
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
If we gave you a MongoDB string would you want to push helicopters directly to the database?
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Reposted by Helicopters of DC
The Air Current @theaircurrent.com · 19/05/2026
FAA details first official response to D.C. crash safety recommendations theaircurrent.com/aviation-saf... (via @willguisbond.com) #staycurrent
theaircurrent.com
FAA details first official response to D.C. crash safety recommendations
Correspondence provides glimpse into how the FAA will implement NTSB recommendations from January 2025 midair collision
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
U.S. Park Police helicopter N11PP has been circling over the Washington Hilton area after reports of shots or loud bangs during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where POTUS was speaking. Trump was evacuated and reported uninjured. We’re tracking the flight activity on CopterSpotter.com
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
A Fairfax County Police helicopter circled over Ballston around 2pm, reporting a ‘special mission’ on the radio. Anyone know what that’s about, or heard that language before? Check it out on copterspotter.com
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Reposted by Helicopters of DC
The Air Current @theaircurrent.com · 11/03/2026
The collision avoidance tool that could help prevent the next midair disaster theaircurrent.com/aviation-saf... (via @willguisbond.com)
theaircurrent.com
The collision avoidance tool that could help prevent the next midair disaster
Breaking down ACAS X as Congress considers competing ROTOR and ALERT bills
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Anyone know what Maryland State Police was up to circling over Rockville around 4am this morning?
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
3/ wjla.com/news/local/g... thehill.com/policy/trans... x.com/flightradar2...
wjla.com
DC-area flights grounded again for strong odor, weeks after similar issue at same facility
For the second time in less than a month, flights were temporarily halted at multiple airports across the D.C. region after a strong odor was reported at a key
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
2/ Ground stops were lifted at most airports by 8 p.m., with Reagan National the last to resume. Delays of 2–3 hours persisted past 10 p.m. Cause of tonight's odor not yet identified. The March 13 incident was traced to an overheated circuit board.
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
1/ Potomac TRACON — the radar facility that sequences all flights in and out of D.C. airspace — was evacuated tonight due to a strong smell, triggering ground stops at DCA, IAD, BWI, CHO, and RIC around 7 p.m. ET. Second evacuation in two weeks.
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Reposted by Helicopters of DC
Allison Gill @muellershewrote.com · 27/03/2026
This sounds bad.
Tweet from Pete Muntean at CNN: 🚨 BREAKING: Potomac TRACON, the key radar facility handling D.C. airspace, has been evacuated to “ATC ZERO” according to FAA alerts. The FAA is now implementing ground stops for flights to Reagan National, Dulles, BWI, Charlottesville and Richmond airports.
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Reposted by Helicopters of DC
Reuters @reuters.com · 27/03/2026
US FAA probes close call between United jet, Army helicopter in California reut.rs/3PCyNpC
reut.rs
US FAA probes close call between United jet, Army helicopter in California
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a close call between a United Airlines jet and ‌an Army Black Hawk helicopter in California, the agency said on Thursday, in the latest incident between a passenger jet and a military aircraft.
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
CopterSpotter is community funded, built on open data, and unlike some flight trackers, we don't take payments to remove flights or aircraft from our data. Check it out at CopterSpotter.com
copterspotter.com
CopterSpotter
HelicoptersofDC's crowd-sourced heli tracking system.
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
CopterSpotter is now installable as an app from your browser — full screen, no tabs, feels native. Works on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and Linux. On desktop, you'll also get automatic notifications when CircleBot flags something or a new event is posted.
CopterSpotter installed as an app on iOS
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
We now surface events related to helicopter flights, like police activity through AlertDC or major events hand-posted by our moderators, so you know why the sky just got busy. We also monitor the White House schedule, so you can see when Marine One departures and arrivals are expected.
An event notice for expecting elevated helicopter activity from federal operators for the state of the union addressAn White House schedule event which shows a scheduled Presidential departure by helicopter.
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Meet CircleBot. It automatically detects circling helicopters & flags them on the map. Anyone can add context to a spot: radio calls, news links, info about what is going on, anything useful. Directly inspired by John Wiseman's groundbreaking advisory circular bots (lemonodor.bsky.social)
the copterspotter UI in light mode with a circlebot spot selectedthe UI for adding details to circlebot spots
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
The map now auto-switches between light and dark mode based on sunrise and sunset, or you can pin it to whichever you prefer. We also added a heatmap layer that shows where flights concentrate across the region.
The copterspotter UI in dark modethe copterspotter UI in light mode with heatmap enabled under the advanced menu
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
We've been heads-down building for a while: dark mode, heatmaps, circling helicopter detection, installable as an app, and more. Here's a catch-up on what's new on CopterSpotter.com 🧵
copterspotter.com
CopterSpotter
HelicoptersofDC's crowd-sourced heli tracking system.
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
the ROTOR Act failed because the Pentagon said they don’t want to be accountable to the FAA or the American public and half of Republicans were cool with it. Don’t fly out of DCA or any other market that shares airspace with the military (good luck)
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
If you got caught up in the Epstein files and America’s latest foreign war you might have missed the Pentagon’s threats to a private company for not providing technology to make autonomous death robots and tools to surveil U.S. citizens. #ImWithClaude
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
🚽 📦?
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
Sky crane, my favorite!
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
Airlift at Georgetown Hospital this morning - 8am
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
To my dismay, the failure of the House to act makes DC’s helicopter self-reporting system CopterSpotter.com more important than ever.
copterspotter.com
CopterSpotter
HelicoptersofDC's crowd-sourced heli tracking system.
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
If you are for aviation transparency let’s start with the monthly release of the PlaneNoise reporting system you implemented to bypass FAA’s own system and obfuscate the publicly available noise reports.
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
By comparison @eleanornorton.bsky.social penned “the Holmes Letter” at my request which was cited by Senate 5 times while grilling a brigadier general - who is more PROACTIVE about DC’s helicopter problem and flight safety? medium.com/@helicopters...
medium.com
Military Should Consider ADS-B Out for D.C. Helicopters
On February 6th Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), Chairman of Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation, left an NTSB briefing on the…
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Unfortunate I told the Congressman’s Chief of Staff that military misuse of ADS-B was a problem on April 28, 2023 @militarytimes.bsky.social @defenseone.bsky.social @twz.com
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Reposted by Helicopters of DC
Congressman Don Beyer @beyer.house.gov · 24/02/2026
Read my full statement: beyer.house.gov/news/documen...
beyer.house.gov
House Republican Leadership Defeats Aviation Safety Legislation As Family Members Of Crash Victims Look On
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Reposted by Helicopters of DC
Congressman Don Beyer @beyer.house.gov · 24/02/2026
Instead they waited until families flew in to honor their loved ones to break their hearts as they looked on today from the House Gallery. Johnson engineered this defeat, voted against the bill, and closed the vote as Members were still voting – needlessly underhanded and disgraceful behavior.
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Reposted by Helicopters of DC
Congressman Don Beyer @beyer.house.gov · 24/02/2026
Mike Johnson and his leadership team should be ashamed of the way they treated the families of the victims of last year's tragic air collision. The ROTOR Act passed unanimously in the Senate, the DOD and Speaker Johnson had lots of time to raise issues constructively.
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
[AlertDC] The U.S. Military will conduct an Aircraft Flyover in the NCR over Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday, February ... evb.gg/n#5zgrre6xbk3
evb.gg
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
NTSB issues final report on Flight 5342 www.ntsb.gov/investigatio...
ntsb.gov
DCA25MA108.aspx
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
I recently got moved on a nearly full flight (737 I think) from the back row RIGHT side to one of the front rows RIGHT side for “balancing” how much does this same side balancing front to back matter?
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Reposted by Helicopters of DC
DEF CON @defcon.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
The DEF CON 33 Hackers’ Almanack translates a year of hacker research into plain language for policymakers—covering offensive AI, cybercrime, authoritarian surveillance, and critical infrastructure vulnerabilities. Read more: harris.uchicago.edu/sites/defaul...
Hackers' Almanack
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
@jettip.net is a hero
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Reposted by Helicopters of DC
airplane ian - abolish ICE @airplaneian.com · 04/02/2026
if you're ever curious about helicopters in the NCR, may I suggest this guide from @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social I miss contributing to their crowdsourced project and am proud of all the work the community has done documenting ops and pushing for safety reforms pre (& post) DCA
helicoptersofdc.com
Helicopters of DC
A guide to understanding the helicopters of Washington, DC
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Copterspotter.com is our web app for submitting spots and browsing our data 🥰 thanks Ian!
copterspotter.com
CopterSpotter
HelicoptersofDC's crowd-sourced heli tracking system.
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Helicopters of DC @helicoptersofdc.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Windows is ☠️
pcmag.com
Report: Microsoft Hands Over Keys for BitLocker-Encrypted Data to FBI
Microsoft tells told Forbes that it receives around 20 such requests for BitLocker keys every year.
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Reposted by Helicopters of DC
John Wiseman @lemonodor.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
1/ They did it again. More ADS-B spoofing drawing images in ADS-B Exchange. x.com/TheIntelFrog...
ADS-B Exchange screenshot.
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