Politics & Government

Helicopter Takes Aerial Survey of Pacifica for Radiation Measurements

Here's why there's a helicopter hovering over the area.

Starting today, a helicopter will be flying at a low-level altitude over portions of Pacifica, San Francisco, and Oakland.

The helicopter will be taking measurements of naturally occurring background radiation, according to a prepared press release by the Pacifica Police Department.

Daily flights are scheduled between Aug. 27 and Sept. 1.

Find out what's happening in Pacificawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The flyovers are a part of a joint research project between the Department of Homeland Security’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to assess natural background radiation levels.

The survey will cover approximately 69-square-miles over the selected locations. The NNSA’s twin-engine Bell 412 helicopter, operated by the Remote Sensing Laboratory Aerial Measuring System in Las Vegas, Nevada, will perform the survey.

Find out what's happening in Pacificawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The helicopter will fly a grid pattern over the locations about 300 feet above the ground. The flights will be limited to daylight hours and the survey is estimated to take about five days to complete.

The background data will be used by DNDO and NNSA to improve aerial radiation measurement capabilities used by local, state, and federal entities.


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