London Helicopter Guide
Network Rail helicopters in London

Who flies in London

Network Rail helicopters

Network Rail uses helicopters for aerial survey and inspection images supporting overhead line equipment, vegetation management and earthworks. Helicopter lifting and bridge/crane lifts: not confirmed from official sourc

Hero image: Photo: simon butler from halesowen, uk, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Network Rail uses helicopters for aerial survey and inspection images supporting overhead line equipment, vegetation management and earthworks. Helicopter lifting and bridge/crane lifts: not confirmed from official sources.

The aircraft

Eurocopter AS355 provided by PDG Helicopters (registrations G-NLSE, G-NETR, G-NTWK, G-NLDR on photo and registry captions).

Where they fly from

Network-wide; London-specific coverage: not stated.

Network Rail AS355 helicopter G-NLSE operated by PDG Helicopters
Network Rail AS355 helicopter G-NLSE operated by PDG HelicoptersPhoto: simon butler from halesowen, uk, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to tell them apart

Official livery description: not stated.

Sourced facts

Network Rail article (10 Apr 2019): aerial images support overhead line maintenance, vegetation management and earthworks; guiding idea 'fly it once and use many times'; a laser-scan survey of Scotland's railway took place the previous year. Source
Number of helicopters and annual hours: not stated in the article. Source

Pictures

Network Rail helicopter G-NETR
Network Rail helicopter G-NETRPhoto: Tony Hisgett, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources and checks

Facts on this page come from these sources, last checked 2026-11-03. Where a source could not be reached or did not say, we left the fact out.

  1. networkrail.co.uk networkrail.co.uk
  2. networkrail.co.uk networkrail.co.uk