Helicopter over neighborhood...every night?

OK, this is beginning to get weird as I cannot figure out an explanation for this.

At late hours I would hear a helicopter fly over my neighborhood and think nothing of it, but as time went on it caught my attention...the main reason being that it sounds like the same helicopter every night...for the past 3 weeks, not a night missed, but it's only heard after midnight. Most occasions it flies by after 1AM, normally 2AM. No circling or anything of that nature, but I tired to figure out a reason why it flies over the same area at such late hours every single night?

Hospital/Police/News heli? I doubt it...I live in a small neighborhood in a big city, but it's a neighborhood not near the 'downtown' areas or highways or airports or anything of that nature. Just a small "borough" if you will.

There is a national guard barracks I think not to far from me, but there is no stationed helicopter or helicopter pad - my highschool was 2 blocks from there, I would have noticed.

The grower in me wants to think police doing FLIR fly-bys...but then i rationalize and say why the hell would they waste the time & money to do it every night? I have family members who work at the nearby hospitals, and one is a supervisor ironically...i've made mention and have confirmed no traumas or lifeflights were out...

Freaky. Any ideas? Again...late hours (12AM-2AM only). Military drill? It's loud, also. Low. Not up real high like police or news copters are when searching for suspects or doing news broadcasts.

its the ghetto-bird. same shit here in my area. mine flys around 10-12pm every night.

have a good buddy whos dad is a helo pilot for longbeach area. makes runs every night. its no big deal to fly around with a flir camera running.

lol fucking thing just flew over, no joke. lololol.

Leon Brooks said:

its the ghetto-bird. same shit here in my area. mine flys around 10-12pm every night.

have a good buddy whos dad is a helo pilot for longbeach area. makes runs every night. its no big deal to fly around with a flir camera running.

lol fucking thing just flew over, no joke. lololol.

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FLIR can only detect heat sources that display themselves on the outside of your house, correct? like heat ducting, dryer vents, etc. So if you have 2 or 3 lights in a tent but the windows are boarded & the heat is dispersed from the tent throughout the room/house...FLIR can't detect that, correct?

same thing happens where i live but it happens from 11-12pm... id be looking through my curtains like a god damn tweaker trying not to be seen... they would even circle at times(felt like i was their target). my thoughts were the same as yours and i even rationalized and calmed myself down the same way you did by thinking they wouldnt do this every night if their intentions were what i was thinking. mine was a police helicopter.

do you live by mountains?

no, no mountains. lets just say i live in the next big city near NYC and Philly.

my neighborhood is known to be a "pass-through" neighborhood for heroin. it used to be an old-lady neighborhood with young kids now it's getting worse...but there isn't practically any crime here...there was a convenience store robbery like 2 years ago, but other than that it's just petty shit like punks defacing cars, if anything etc.

but, big dealers will push weight into this neighborhood to be distributed elsewhere...there's been a few busts noting my neighborhood as harboring some of the suspects involved. but police copters every night? shit...

ItIsTime said:

FLIR can only detect heat sources that display themselves on the outside of your house, correct? like heat ducting, dryer vents, etc. So if you have 2 or 3 lights in a tent but the windows are boarded & the heat is dispersed from the tent throughout the room/house...FLIR can't detect that, correct?

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http://www.gardenscure.com/420/1095131-post18.html

yeah i looked at a few youtube videos with FLIR....looks like the main goal then is don't have concentrated heat exhausts and do your best to disperse the heat & use an a/c.

i have a few old friends who could of said something due to a falling out, but the chances they remember my address or where i live for that matter...and the chances that the local police would take 1 person's "word" and do fly by's every night? doubt it.

Found the solution:

http://www.hydrowholesale.com/search/thermal.aspx

Yea sometimes i freak out about the helis,

but after time i realized that its usually just going to the hospital,

you should start freaking out if they are circling and/or spotlight by your house but still no reason to do anything drastic... atleast i wouldnt

ItIsTime said:

Found the solution:

http://www.hydrowholesale.com/search/thermal.aspx

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that wont protect against radiant heat which is what heats up the framing and stuff in your house which is what they look for.

Keep in mind the average space heater is like 1200 watts and more of that is transfered to heat that with a light. I think you would need to have a 4k plus op to be visible to FLIR unless you vent your heat directly outside.

Also technically they need a warrant to even scan your house

I think there is one difference between those who get busted, and those who don't.

The ones who take every precaution and prepare for every possible hole rarely get busted.

Those who sidestep and compromise are the one's who get busted.

All of the busts I see in my city are either:

1.) LARGE ops...hundreds of plants, 10+ lights, etc.
2.) poorly-contained ops (no odor control, growing in a crime-ridden neighborhood, selling outright, etc.)

Put the investment money into smell control, heat control and if you are selling keep it in a small circle of trusted people or to the least amount of people possible. In my situation I have 2 people who know i actively grow and i trust them with the information. I don't trust many people. If i decide to sell it will be discreet, no coming and going at odd hours, no odd vehicles (blaring systems on 30" rims riding through etc) and if i have to transport, transport on rainy/snowy days and make use of hotels.

I'm pretty confident if i lined the ceiling/outside walls with that thermal guard, made constant use of an a/c when lights on and controlled smell & heat with carbon filters and dispersing it through a room...that i'll be okay from outside detection.

Even small things like your garbage can lead to a bust. After harvest toss out that much weed-related garbage and someone walking their dog by your garbage pickup notices an odd weed smell...calls the cops...cops smell it...reasonable suspicion...bang, warrant. can't take any chances now a days, i plan on packing all garbage (stems, trim, etc.) into black contractor bags and burning it out at a family member's country property.

my grow shouldn't be big enough to cause concern. 2,400w.

warrant may be required for a legal, in-court evidence FLIR scan of your home...but what if they get a tip and use FLIR to confirm the tip, then begin an investigation? stake outs, checking your garbage, busting people leaving your house, etc. i say this much...anyone growing with more than a 600w is selling. maybe not on an extensive level, but the chances someone consumes that much weed in a 3/4 month period is insane...400w gave me a half pound+ (10oz)

everyone I know personally that got busted for more than just possession got caught beacuse of irate girlfriends ratting them out cause they got cheated on or whatever or they would brag about their shit being the best in town to everyone they sold to till everyone in town knew they grew.

Jacuzzi,

From the knowledge I have if you properly covered outside-facing walls and the ceiling with that thermal shield material, it creates a heat barrier in which heat inside the room stays inside the room, and doesn't radiate out to the framing of the home. almost keep in mind i live in a old brick farmhouse...so it will take more to heat the walls up than if it was just drywall, wood and siding, etc

plus you have to assume you are using so much power and generating so much heat that it will give an identifying signal to FLIR, and if you do i think the plan i have mentioned is anyone's best bet at being safe and secure.

running your mouth is the hardest thing not to do in this business, because it brings notoriety, and money. stick to who you trust and keep your mouth shut & you are more than likely good to go.

i stick to fuck buddies at the moment, but if i ever do get a serious girlfriend she will know that i only smoke and do not grow. if she's ever over my house the attic is off-limits and i will explain that it's my parents' storage room and nobody is allowed up there will be a doorknob lock and additional lock also so 2 keys are required to get in the room.

PS: most dealers go wrong with the fact they act like typical dealers...sell to anyone. i've had hundreds of dollars flashed at me if i could provide an ounce or two on the spot, but it was people i didn't know and didn't trust. the risk gets higher when you're dealing with a pound...two pounds, etc. the deal may go down good, but what happens when that prick gets busted and rolls over on you and everyone in his cellphone contacts list?

EastBayGrower said:

you should start freaking out if they are circling and/or spotlight by your house but still no reason to do anything drastic... atleast i wouldnt

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this happened to me a couple months ago and my heart was beating so fast. im completely legal so i know i was in no real danger due to some supreme court precedent but i just dont need that kinda shit in my life. i didnt kill any plants cuz i figured if i hear them coming im probably fine. its when you dont hear them coming, thats when you know your fucked.

ass2mouth said:

this happened to me a couple months ago and my heart was beating so fast. im completely legal so i know i was in no real danger due to some supreme court precedent but i just dont need that kinda shit in my life. i didnt kill any plants cuz i figured if i hear them coming im probably fine. its when you dont hear them coming, thats when you know your fucked.

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i don't live in a med or decrim'd state. manufacturing will get you time, or YEARS probation with thousands of dollars in fines and court costs/attorney fees, etc. second..i have weapons. easily can double time. lastly you're not in for a "bust" if you have a helicopter flying over, unless it's an announced bust and the police want an overhead view....which is rare. most busts are normally just cops rolling up with either a knock or no-knock warrant, busting the door down and detaining everyone inside for questioning, then the charges come. the helicopters are scouters, they look for suspicious houses. once they spot one they find more damning evidence to get a warrant....such as weed in the garbage you left out, or stake outs that incriminate you as a dealer, etc. once they get the warrant, you're screwed. unless you have someone on the inside and can dispose of all the plants from the area...good luck, lol

I'm in NYC and this is the time of year they start spraying for mosquitoes.

Bionic said:

I'm in NYC and this is the time of year they start spraying for mosquitoes.

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I think your on to something there. He said they were low flying helicopters and late at night when most people are indoors.

that stuff at gardenscure about the outdoor plants giving off infrared sounds like BS to me, but is it? The part about cameras sending out infrared that the plants absorb and then gives them away is even more likely to be BS. All I know is FLIR cameras detect infared radiation, not give it off, and if outdoor plants were so noticeable no one would be able to pull it off. Can someone confirm or refute this?

Nor'Easter said:

that stuff at gardenscure about the outdoor plants giving off infrared sounds like BS to me, but is it? The part about cameras sending out infrared that the plants absorb and then gives them away is even more likely to be BS. All I know is FLIR cameras detect infared radiation, not give it off, and if outdoor plants were so noticeable no one would be able to pull it off. Can someone confirm or refute this?

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they are sorta right with Hyperspectral Optical image processing they can make marijuana plants glow on the monitor and stand out even in heavy vegatation from a distance of 5,000 feet. It works by analyzing the spectral signatures of all the light reflected back to the camera. A computer process the image 30 times a second searching for a specific pattern such as marijuana and highlights the portion of the image which matches so the person viewing the monitor can easily spot it.

edit: ya alot of what was in that thread was bunk thats why I only linked that post with the images.