What helicopter is flying over me?

You hear the thud of rotor blades overhead. Is it an air ambulance rushing to an emergency? A police helicopter tracking a suspect? Or perhaps a coastguard aircraft on a search-and-rescue mission? With AirAssist, you can find out instantly — in real time.

Air ambulance helicopters (HEMS)

HEMS — Helicopter Emergency Medical Service — aircraft respond to life-threatening emergencies where speed or specialist care makes the difference. Across the UK alone, more than twenty independent air ambulance charities operate alongside NHS helicopter services. Some of the best-known include:

• London's Air Ambulance — covers Greater London, dispatched by London Ambulance Service
• Great North Air Ambulance (GNAA) — North East England and Cumbria
• Yorkshire Air Ambulance — two aircraft covering the whole of Yorkshire
• Midlands Air Ambulance — three aircraft covering the West Midlands and surrounding counties
• MAGPAS Air Ambulance — East of England, dispatched as a Critical Care Team
• Wales Air Ambulance — three aircraft covering all of Wales
• Scottish Ambulance Service — fixed-wing and helicopter services across Scotland

Beyond the UK, AirAssist tracks HEMS aircraft across Europe and further afield — from the Dutch Lifeliners and German Christoph helicopters to the Italian 118 service and Australian RFDS.

Police helicopters

The National Police Air Service (NPAS) operates from around twenty bases across England and Wales, providing air support 24 hours a day. NPAS helicopters carry thermal imaging cameras, powerful spotlights, and downlinks to ground units. Their callsigns typically follow the pattern "NPAS" followed by a number. In Scotland, the Police Scotland Air Support Unit operates separately from Inverness and Glasgow.

HM Coastguard

HM Coastguard contracts its search-and-rescue helicopter service to Bristow Helicopters. AgustaWestland AW189 and Sikorsky S-92 aircraft operate from ten bases around the UK coastline, including Sumburgh, Stornoway, Inverness, Caernarfon, St Athan, Lee-on-Solent, Lydd, Humberside, Prestwick, and Newquay. These aircraft respond to maritime emergencies, cliff rescues, and medical evacuations from remote areas.

How does ADS-B tracking work?

Most operational helicopters broadcast their position continuously using ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast) transponders. A global network of ground receivers — supplemented by satellite reception — picks up these signals and sends them to aggregators. AirAssist filters this data to show only HEMS, police, and coastguard aircraft, so you see exactly what is relevant without commercial traffic cluttering the map.

Each aircraft entry shows the registration, type, callsign, altitude, speed, and a trail of the recent route. For HEMS aircraft, AirAssist also shows the operator name and base so you can identify the crew at a glance.

Track it with AirAssist

Open AirAssist on iOS, Android, or in your browser to see all emergency and specialist helicopters near you right now. Set push notifications for specific aircraft and get alerted the moment they take off or land. The Starter tier is completely free — no account required to view the live map.