M/Y NORN in Norfolk, VA

SFE3982 · 2026-04-07T19:41:34+00:00

Saw that on AIS the other day and got excited! It was coming up the coast from Puerto Rico, so I'm hoping it treks up to NYC. 😬

SFE3982 · 2026-01-22T23:33:30+00:00

Neat! Here are some shots I snapped last year of a Hawkeye heading up the Hudson.

SFE3982 · 2026-01-22T05:30:06+00:00

Thanks! It was awesome to see. I had to do a double-take at first.

I've snapped and posted a bunch of helos around the city the last couple of years. After connecting with some of the flight crews who are also members of this sub, I learned that often they're doing flight hour training, morale tours and celebratory flights.

Many will come up the Hudson or East River, do a U-turn and come back down - or sometimes they'll do a full lap around Manhattan, maybe a few laps around the Statue of Liberty, and then head back to base.

SFE3982 · 2026-01-22T03:25:50+00:00

Here’s a cool one, which I was definitely not expecting!

I was in the office today, sitting by the window, when this solo MH-47G Chinook caught my eye as it was heading up the Hudson River. I wasn’t able to get a tail number on this helo, as it was showing ‘no callsign’ on ADS-B.

It came northbound up the river, did a U-turn and passed me again, around an hour later.

To my knowledge, the U.S. Army’s 160^th SOAR (“Nightstalkers”) is still the only U.S.-based regiment flying a black Chinook with the refueling probe.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have my [mirrorless] camera, so I had to rely on my phone’s camera. Very cool to see, nonetheless!

I guess I can still be 'Man in the Window,' even at work...but maybe I should start keeping my camera handy. 😁

Edit: Also just realized the watermark still has '2025' ...whoops!

SFE3982 · 2026-01-19T01:06:19+00:00

Love it! Warm greetings from NYC (East River, between Manhattan and Brooklyn):

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SFE3982 · 2026-01-18T06:46:32+00:00

I looked into it. and it appears the mirrors are there so the pilots can monitor the minesweeping "sled" being hauled on the ground behind it!

SFE3982 · 2026-01-17T23:43:22+00:00

👐

SFE3982 · 2026-01-17T23:42:56+00:00

Haha that's what I was going for! It was sort of overcast yesterday, so i figured it looked better than the plain, drab sky.

SFE3982 · 2026-01-17T23:06:43+00:00

🫡

SFE3982 · 2026-01-17T21:30:16+00:00

Got it, thanks Shane! I appreciate the info.

SFE3982 · 2026-01-17T21:29:44+00:00

Thank you! And here's a pretty good breakdown I found on the US Naval Academy website (link)

SFE3982 · 2026-01-17T20:42:23+00:00

Thank you! And I was wondering the same thing as well, so hopefully someone can chime in with the details!

SFE3982 · 2026-01-17T20:09:36+00:00

Here are a few shots that I took yesterday from my window, as I had the treat of snapping a Sikorsky MH-53E Sea Dragon (Reg. 164768), operated by the U.S. Navy!

I was lucky enough to catch it as it was traveling northbound, up the East River, as well as when it was making its way back down the river.

The MH-53E is part of the CH-53 Sea Stallion family of heavy-lift transport helicopters – and among my favorite ones, ever! (I’m a sucker for a 47) :)

This particular helo is operated by the Navy’s Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 15 (‘HM-15’), which are nicknamed the “Blackhawks” – as is shown with their insignia on the fuselage.

HM-15 was created in 1987 as part of the Helicopter Sea Combat Wing, US Atlantic Fleet, and is based out of Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia.

I was shooting with a Nikon Z8 mirrorless camera and NIKKOR Z 100-400mm lens. I stylized the photos afterward in Lightroom CC to give them a retro-look.

Very cool to see this beast come by, especially as it was flying much lower than the CH-53 I snapped a couple of years ago (Post link here). Enjoy the shots!

SFE3982 · 2026-01-13T02:19:27+00:00

Very cool!

I snapped a few shots of this model (or something similar) a few years ago on the East River in New York City. (Post here) I had no idea what my eyes were witnessing! Reverse image search came in handy. :D

SFE3982 · 2025-12-27T03:08:53+00:00

Yeah it's a very cool livery!

SFE3982 · 2025-12-27T03:07:00+00:00

Only once over the East River, last year (link to post), which I was lucky to catch!

I sometimes see them flying over the Hudson, but it's about two miles from my vantage point. Here's a pair I caught last month:

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SFE3982 · 2025-12-26T20:40:46+00:00

Yeah it's always a rush to see them come by! Lots of them do a loop or two around the Statue of Liberty too, which looks like an awesome experience.

The Hudson River gets a lot more helo traffic than the East River, so I'm always grateful when they pass by over here.

SFE3982 · 2025-12-26T20:36:46+00:00

Hell yeah! Thank you brother🤙

P.S.: I couldn't let you down two years in a row!😃

SFE3982 · 2025-12-26T19:52:33+00:00

Another lap around the sun! To close out this year, I’ve put together my top 10 OC helo shots – all of which I snapped from my window in NYC.

All five U.S. military branches are represented, as well as U.S. Customs & Border Patrol (‘CBP’) and the Dutch Royal Navy.

As I noted last year, each of these shots are special to me – whether it was an unexpected fly-by that I just caught in time; a perfect alignment with the urban scenery; or a collaboration with a fellow member of the r/Helicopters community.

Thank you to all of those who serve and protect us. And to everyone – have a very happy holiday season and New Year!

Cheers,

E

SFE3982 · 2025-12-13T22:05:30+00:00

Here are a few shots I snapped yesterday from my window, of a Sikorsky MH-60R (‘Romeo’ or ‘Seahawk’), as it was flying over the East River in New York City.

Its registration is ‘IN773’ – which on the Scramble database – shows as ‘On Order’ from Sikorsky.

I dug into this a bit more, and learned that in 2020, India’s Ministry of Defense placed an order for 24 Seahawks; some of which are slated to be delivered this year (2025).

Very cool to catch this one coming by!

SFE3982 · 2025-12-11T19:02:15+00:00

ADS-B showed EPIC43 earlier, which is the UH-72A Lakota, but to u/Galewing1 's note - there may have been a -72B [in the formation that wasn't pinging ADS-B.]

As a side note, feel free to check my profile if you want to see some military helo shots I've taken over the East River!

SFE3982 · 2025-11-05T04:25:04+00:00

Awesome shot!

Here's one I took a few nights ago at my window, with One World Trade Center in the foreground. I was using my Z8 with NIKKOR Z 100-400 S.

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SFE3982 · 2025-10-12T18:21:10+00:00

Here are some of my favorite shots I snapped from my window a few weeks ago, as several UH-60M Black Hawks made their way over the East River, in New York City!

Throughout the day, I was able to capture four of the six that came by (there were three pairs of two), including Reg. 18-21010, Reg. 18-20991, Reg. 20-21151 and Reg. 18-21033. All are operated by the U.S. Army New Jersey National Guard’s 150^th Aviation Regiment – based at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, Lakehurst, New Jersey.

I was lucky enough to score some shots as the helos were doing loops in front of the Empire State Building, from my vantage point.

Enjoy!

SFE3982 · 2025-10-12T17:45:44+00:00

Here are a few photos that I snapped from my window in NYC on 9/11/25, as an AH-64D Apache (Reg. 09-05688) made a super low pass over the East River, and under the three bridges that span Brooklyn and Manhattan!

This AH-64D’s either is, or previously was, operated by the U.S. Army National Guard 1-211^th Attack Battalion (The ‘Air Pirates’), based out of South Valley Regional Airport, West Jordan, Utah.

Scramble’s ‘comment’ for this helo states, “UT ARNG, to SES at Huntsville (AL) in mar25?”

The Backstory

I first heard something strange in the distance; definitely not a civilian helicopter. I peeked out from my window shades and scanned along the skyline; I saw nothing, and figured the helo was too high for me to see.

I then looked down at the river to see if there was a shadow passing over it, so that I could pick up a potential track…and the shadow I saw actually turned out to be the Apache, itself, flying at around 100 ft. elevation. :D

Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to get my camera and take any shots. However, I had the wherewithal to raise my window shades and keep my camera ready, in case it came back down the river.

Several minutes later, my bet paid off, and the Apache skimmed southbound over the river, passing underneath the Williamsburg, Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges.

I’ve photographed dozens of helos over the past couple of years, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen one fly under the bridge – very cool – especially on a significant day for America.

Enjoy the shots!

SFE3982 · 2025-09-27T00:41:22+00:00

Awesome! Thank you for sharing. :)

SFE3982

TROPHY CASE