More than a few e-mails this morning asking about a helicopter flying around northeastern West Seattle around 5:30 am – checked with Sgt. Jeff Durden at Southwest Precinct and it doesn’t seem to have been associated with police activity. We’ll see if we can find out anything from aviation-related sources.
Yeah – I heard it – was wondering what was going on – seemed to be hovering over east delridge area – did not see anything on 911 log that seemed to warrant a helicopter – possibly a news story – glad I was already awake cause it’s annoying when you get woke up early.
6/30/2008 5:41:03 AM F080058323 E28 4732 35th Av S Aid Response
6/30/2008 5:38:47 AM F080058322 E30 M28 4512 35th Av S Medic Response
6/30/2008 5:05:05 AM F080058321 E37 4201 Sw Morgan St 1RED 1 Unit
well i was definitely trying to sleep and if it was a military aircraft I want to know what in the heck they were doing…..
I went out to see what kind of helicopter could be so low and make so little sound. Then I flipped it the bird. There is no excuse for disturbing the peace in that manner (barring a major emergency).
After a search on Google, I think it may be the King County Bell OH-58. Have they been contacted?
Not a news helicopter. It was way too quiet, IMHO. Plus, the news helicopters don’t tend to fly that low, because their cameras are so good they don’t need to…
I just spoke with KC Special Operations and the officer said she lives in West Seattle and heard it too, but that King County wasn’t flying this morning, so she didn’t know.
King County’s chopper wouldn’t be flying over here without Seattle PD knowing about it, since this was within our city limits – so my response from them seemed to rule that out. I just talked to Boeing Field and unfortunately their “noise officer,” who would know, is out sick today – they had no special advisories but the “noise officer” apparently gets flight tracking info within 24 hours so I may be able to figure it out tomorrow. As for news helicopter: Would have had to have been something not police, not fire.
That was me just out for a little fly over. couldn’t sleep and sometimes getting in my chopper and just going out for a drive is just the thing to relax me.
Sorry to disturb you.
It looked similar to the UH-58 that King County uses, but I swear it had two separate instrument clusters hanging down from the front. Maybe a spot light and infrared imaging equipment? It was white on the bottom and top with a dark stripe down the side. By the time I convinced myself to get out of bed, it was about 1 1/2 blocks north of me.
I’m thinking it was the DEA looking for ‘Hot Spots’. Anyway you slice it, it was a rude start to my day.
Black helicopters flown by men in black trenchcoats and wearing dark glasses! It’s Da Man coming to get you, to get all of you! Beware!
I’m more interested in finding out who it was so I can lodge a complaint.
I don’t care who it was, they suck.
Didn’t re recently see Google Street Map folks around in cars? Maybe they were doing roof tops too?
Could be the kind county sheriff chopper. I have taken several pics of that chopper flying over the beach.
I saw them this morning during my morning walk and thought it was odd that they were so low…
They flew over Highpoint, then towards EC Hughes park, I am sure they were doing infared scans.
OK, I have a wacky idea. Maybe it’s Google. They had a special street vehicle in town recently getting Seattle geared up for their “street view.” Perhaps helicopters are mapping local streets. Although for HEAVEN’S SAKE, 5:30 am? **end of ungrounded speculation, do not quote me**
It was black. Wait no, Clinton is not President anymore. I am sure it must have been something completely legitimate then.
The sheriff helo flies under 200 routinely. I’m not a chopper pilot, but I have flown cessna’s.
It was KOMO 4 news. They had a producer who challenged herself to live off one tank of gas for the whole month of June. She lives in WS and was biking herself to work. They were filming her on her last day of her challenge. Hope this helps all the conspiracy theorisists.
Seriously? I was a manager at KOMO for years and chopper costs/flying time were very tightly controlled even well before the days of sky-high gas … I wouldn’t have burned chopper fuel for that – you can shoot from street level – let alone buzzing a neighborhood at 5:30 am for a non-breaking news reason. I will check with their assignment desk. Found a clip about the franchise on their site but can’t stand to wade through it to see if they had chopper-shot footage at the end.
oh yeah? so they were highlighting a point about conserving gas? what better way to do that than with a helicoper.
At 6:30 AM, a helicopter (maybe the same one) was hovering over about 6th & Harrison — four blocks north-east of KOMO / Fisher Plaza.
Hmmm…. KOMO news filming an effort to save gas by riding a bike from a helecopter sounds too funny/sick to be true. I just went to KOMO’s website to check the story out, and they have a film there of the producer’s adventures… no aerial shots there. I’m not saying it wasnt a KOMO copter, just that they did not use any shots for that piece.
Sorry, all. Flipjack and I will be better neighbors next time. Just trying to get to Charlestown Cafe to be first in line this a.m.
I was watching at the time that it was on the tv and the helicopter was overhead. As for why they were over this way…they were probably covering the arson fire at the apartment in Burien. There were 3 people who died.
Oh I wanted to add when they were overhead they filmed her briefly starting her trek over to work. You know those “live shots” and that probably why it wasn’t included in the story.
I’d appreciate any follow up with KOMO on this. It really didn’t look or sound like any news copter. As to “conspiracy theories”… it’s well known that surveillance is part of our daily lives today.. I just want to know what merited this kind of disturbance so early in the morning. I really don’t buy the KOMO explanation.
It was KOMO. They confirmed that it was the bike story. They burned more gas flying that bird than the employee saved in her month of ‘conservation’.
I guess I know less about the way news helicopters work than I originally surmised. I guess I have never seen one that close.
I just called to lodge a complaint and was treated extremely rudely.
I know one station I will not bother to watch from now on.
t4toby, sorry to hear that. Anyone who theoretically serves the public should be as respectful as possible when dealing with the public. Dealing with complaints was one of my many jobs as a manager both there and at Q13, and there’s an art to it. Thanks for checking.
The WSB has changed since it first started. Seems people get their panties in a bunch alot more than when this was a small little blog.
Not defending KOMO but how they spend their budget on gas is their deal not yours. Also there was newsworthy footage being filmed in Burien. (the arson apartment fire that killed 3 people) Burien/White Center/West Seattle are a stones throw from each other when in a helicopter.
Why is it when people ask for the explanation of something and they get the answer they still seem to argue the validity? I gave the answer and still the paranoia was there of “big brother” watching. Geeesh!!
Obviously you were not awakened by a helicopter flying very slowly over your house at 5:30 am yesterday morning.
Yeah, Steph was probably up polishing her rose colored glasses at 5 a.m. anyways!!!
A friendly alert, we don’t tolerate flame wars in comment threads so let’s stop it there. I appreciate Steph posting the original word that this was KOMO, regardless of whether you or I or anyone agrees with their choice to deploy a chopper over a residential area at dawn’s early light for a non-breaking-news reason.
Geeesh!! I have a hard time detecting sarcasm on the internets sometimes — what makes one posting more authoritative than all others, so much so that comments should have ceased right at that moment, 7:58pm? But thanks, Steph for the info.
As long as TV stations use our airwaves to preach about our lifestyles, it is “our business” when they’re a bit disingenuous about saving fuel. Their entire business is public relations, and WSB readers’ opinions should be valuable to them.
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WSB has changed since it first started, and I want to thank them for all those wonderful changes.
I was actually up at that hour getting ready for work. I also live in the vicinity where the helicopter was hovering. Again I reiterate there was a serious story they were covering in Burien, 3 people dies in an arson fire and one was a child. I would say that would count as significant news to cover.
Sorry, comment time is over.
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