You may see military helicopters flying around KC for 2 weeks. Here’s why
When Erik Christopher heard it coming from a distance, he thought it was a train. Then it got louder, a booming noise overhead.
“Then my lights and windows shook a bit and the sound faded,” Christopher said in a text message Wednesday.
Christopher, 40, is among a group of people who posted online about their encounters with military helicopters and other aviation in the Kansas City metro this week. He heard the fleet fly above his home near East 99th Street and Holmes Road.
“I can’t remember hearing them before,” Christopher said. “I’ve lived in my place for three and a half years. I was like ‘okay, it must be a plane and it sounds like it is landing on our block.’”
The U.S. Department of Defense is conducting training exercises in Independence and in other parts of Kansas City this week, according to the Independence Police Department. Military personnel are practicing air mobility and urban combat training, said Bryan Conley, a police spokesman.
The Kansas City Police Department confirmed they are aware of the military training. The training is expected to last around two weeks, according to Officer Alayna Gonzalez, a police spokeswoman.
“The (D)epartment of (D)efense is in town strictly for training and that is all,” Gonzalez said in an email.
Kansas City has been used for urban military training three other times over the last few years, Gonzalez said.
Area residents might remember similar sights of helicopters in 2023, when the sounds of gunfire and explosions from military training startled some in the Kansas City metro.
This week, residents may experience increased noise and military style vehicles in certain parts of the city, Gonzalez said.
“...Those will be closed and controlled training environments,” Gonzalez said. “Outside of the training location, there will not be any additional impact to daily functions or operations of the surrounding areas.”
Military helicopters flying around KC
Among others posting online about sights of helicopters was Ben Johnson, 43. He told The Star that his wife saw them flying low in a neighborhood near Shawnee Mission North High School on West 61st Street and Metcalf Lane in Overland Park.
“To be honest it’s a little concerning they are flying so low over a residential area multiple times.” Johnson said in a text.
Despite hearing the flights were for military training, Johnson said he was concerned about safety.
“Seems sort of careless.” Johnson said. “If anyone makes a mistake they will crash into houses and people could get hurt or worse. When they fly over it sounds like they are going to crash into your house.”
In a Facebook post April 7, Independence police said the purpose of the training is to provide the Defense Department with “realistic sites for preparedness training.”
The training, which is described as routine, has been conducted by military personnel in cities across the country, Independence police said on social media.
“The sites have been carefully selected to minimize the daily impact of residents and visitors,” Independence police said in a statement.
Training sites are secured and will not be disclosed to ensure the safety of the general public, according to Independence police. In a statement, police asked that if any members of the public learn of the training locations, they should remain clear of the locations while training is conducted.
Officials have not confirmed which branches of the military are conducting the training.
The Star reached out to the Kansas City FBI, but has not yet heard back. A U.S. Army representative said the training is not connected to the Army.
Nor is the training connected to the Missouri National Guard, a spokesman said in an email Thursday.
“Aircraft assigned to the Missouri National Guard are not flying around or near the Kansas City metro area. We’ll keep you informed if we receive additional information,” wrote Senior Master Sgt. Michael Crane, a Missouri Air National Guard superintendent in the 139th Airlift Wing, Public Affairs.
Jordan Taylor-Wagler, 36, of Shawnee, said she just moved back to the area after living in a military town, Jacksonville, North Carolina, for 11 years. She recorded a video of four military helicopters flying low in a formation around 7:30 p.m. last Saturday in the Pflumm Woods neighborhood.
“It wasn’t unusual to me at first thought,” Taylor-Wagler said about seeing the helicopters.
Then, Taylor-Wagler said she thought to herself, ‘it is something you don’t see often, if at all, in Shawnee suburbs.’
The same thought came to Brandy Johnson, 43, when she heard aircraft flying near North Troost Avenue and Northeast 85th Court.
“I’ve been inside my house the last couple of evenings... it was very loud flying overhead.,” she said in a text. “I’m really surprised they’re flying in this area.”
“I thought the police might be looking for someone in my neighborhood, but the second night they flew by quicker,” she said.
Since people have spotted the military flights, some took to online groups and shared unsubstantiated claims about the purpose of the training.
Brandy Johnson said a clear statement from officials describing who was training and why would help ease public fears.
“A lot of rumor conspiracy theories (are) going around on social media about martial law training and things like that,” she said. “But it would be helpful if they would let us know what was going on.”
The Star’s Noelle Alviz-Gransee contributed.
This story was originally published April 9, 2025 at 3:48 PM.
