Marina Gordon, editor My Wallingford, today asked – and answered – a question on many of our minds: “What’s that yellow helicopter?  Is it a news chopper? Medic? What could it be?”

The answer, as with so many questions, was just a Google search away.

That’s a tour helicopter, which explains why we’re seeing it a lot more in the summer. We must spot (and hear) the helicopter on its way to Green Lake or the UW, in a tour package that includes the Space Needle, Lake Union, Lake Washington, Snoqualmie Falls, Ballard Locks and Elliott Bay Marina.

Thanks, Marina!

Another mystery remains, however.  We’ve had a couple of inquiries from Green Lake residents wondering about a low-flying single prop plane that frequently flies in circles over the north end of Green Lake.  It has been spotted this summer and last.  Our best guess is that this plane is also sightseeing-related, but we can’t say for sure.  If you have any information, please do let us know!

Update, Thursday July 29:

Many thanks to commenter Greenman, who writes that the low-flying single prop plane frequently seen over north Green Lake may be a Cessna, used by the Washington State Patrol to monitor traffic over I-5.

The Washington State Patrol’s website indicates that the WSP Aviation Section uses five Cessna fixed wing aircraft to aid their mission of providing “aerial traffic enforcement, traffic congestion management, and other aerial law enforcement services.”

Thanks, Greenman!