Why Helicopters Are Critical for Covering LA Breaking News

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at Helinet Aviation’s ENG operation.

Matt Leighton

Wednesday, March 04, 2026 at 12:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Helinet provides ENG services for KABC-TV in Los Angeles. This Airbus H125 (formerly formerly known as the Eurocopter AS350) is the main helicopter for KABC-TV. [Credit: Matt Leighton]

Key Takeaways:

Due to Los Angeles' severe traffic and vast geographical area, Electronic News Gathering (ENG) helicopters are deemed essential for timely breaking news, police pursuits, and general aerial coverage.
Helinet Aviation provides these critical ENG services for the LA market, deploying teams of pilots, camera operators, and reporters in advanced Airbus H125 helicopters for approximately 20 hours daily.
ENG helicopter operations require rapid deployment, intricate coordination with ground crews and other aircraft in congested airspace, adherence to FAA Part 91 rules, and the use of high-tech equipment for live broadcasts and other newsgathering.

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Los Angeles is notorious for gridlock traffic and known for being what some call the police pursuit capital of the world. In the No. 2 television market in the country, getting to breaking news or those high-speed chases quickly usually involves doing so from the air.

Television stations across the country use ENG (electronic news gathering) helicopters as a tool to capture news live. However, as costs have tightened in newsrooms, the number of helicopters has decreased over the years.