![]() The last flight documented by the flight-tracking apps shows to have returned to Kansas City, Missouri at about 11:55 p.m. Most of the flights have begun in the early evening continued into the early morning hours of the next day. 7, show a helicopter making a beeline from its hangar in Kansas City, Missouri, to the area of I-35 and I-435 in Lenexa, then heading southeast to near 159th Street and Mission Road in Overland Park, before returning to circle in over Johnson Drive in Mission.Įventually, that helicopter moved north to circle over downtown Kansas City, Kansas. These circles went on for nearly 90 minutes, with a brief detour north into Kansas City, Kansas, and the area of Interstate 635 and the Kansas River. 5, one helicopter made large circles from near State Line Road, west to Interstate 35 along 75th Street, with return trips back east over Shawnee Mission Parkway. There has been more activity in the skies over Johnson County since then. One helicopter circled over the area of Shawnee Mission Parkway and Metcalf Avenue for more than an hour on Friday, Feb. Some flight tracks over the weekend showed nearly constant orbiting over the same area, while at other times, the flight path appeared much more random. It would then swap positions with the other helicopter to return to the Helicopter Unit hangar, near the Truman Sports Complex, for refueling. One helicopter would be over Johnson County for about 90 minutes. ![]() ![]() 7, shows a KCPD helicopter traveling over downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and then circling over northeast Johnson County.įlight tracking data shows that two helicopters belonging to the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department’s Helicopter Unit were used between Friday and Sunday over Johnson County. Mike Frizzell Data from on the night of Monday, Feb. Mode-S provides similar data with some additional information about the speed and altitude of aircraft.īoth of these aircraft-generated streams of information provide air-traffic controllers and flight tracking apps with real-time information on any aircraft broadcasting the information. Larry Peet, deputy director of Johnson County Airport Commission, said the helicopter operations are not in either of JCAC’s airport’s airspace, “so neither one of towers have been in contact with them.”Īircraft tracking apps, like FlightRadar24 and FlightAware, use technology known as ADS-B and Mode-S to be able to show the positions and basic information about hundreds of thousands of flights each day worldwide.ĪDS-B, or Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, uses data broadcast by the aircraft to share identification, position, altitude and speed. Morris said helicopters are usually used to track stolen cars or persons “who may be on the move,” but that he did not have any further information. Morris said he’s been told the helicopter operations are related to a “special investigation assignment.” The Roeland Park Police Department is “not involved with a helicopter” and has not requested one, Chief John Morris told the Post via email. Roberson said he believes the helicopters being heard belong to KCPD. The Prairie Village Police Department has not had any calls or operations using helicopters, Chief Byron Roberson told the Post via email. She said that KCPD does not have “additional details about their investigation” involving these recent helicopter flights, and she did not indicate which agencies needed the helicopters’ assistance. Officer Donna Drake with the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department confirmed with the Shawnee Mission Post via email that KCPD helicopters have been in use over the Johnson County area.ĭrake said the department has a mutual aid agreement with other agencies that allows them to use their helicopters over Johnson County.
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