Speed Limit enforced by aircraft?

I just got off of a road trip to Baltimore & back. On the way back, going through Virginia, and North Carolina, I kept seeing signs saying "speed limit enforced by AIRCRAFT". When I entered zones that had those signs present, my radar detector would detect almost constant K and X class radar to the point where I had to mute it.

My question is, what is this "aircraft"? And how is it that its signal was almost constantly on my vehicle? This lasted for about 55 miles at one point.

reply to post by My.mind.is.mine


They fly a small plane up and down the highways equipped with radar. Radio down to patrols waiting ahead to pull the people over and ticket them. Got nailed at 96 mph in Florida one time.

reply to post by sligtlyskeptical


And this is just normal?? What ELSE is that plane doing??

A great way of saving the taxpayers money eh! Instead of just police cars going up and down you continually have a plane in the sky aswel as the police cars. I wonder if the government in the US is charging itself for carbon tax or whatever it is?

They have been doing this on a regular basis in New Hampshire for many years now.
Radar detectors don't pick up the transmissions.
That is why I keep a scanner handy with the state police frequencies on. Then you can hear the call down to the officers on the ground

Ya that's what the truckers call a bear in the air. I always thought they timed you though not radar. If you look next time you're on the highway, you will see big white dashes or +'s about every quarter to half mile. I think they uses those marks to firgire your speed from the air.

Originally posted by sligtlyskeptical
reply to post by My.mind.is.mine

 

They fly a small plane up and down the highways equipped with radar. Radio down to patrols waiting ahead to pull the people over and ticket them. Got nailed at 96 mph in Florida one time.

Actually, the aircraft do no have a radar transmitter. The "observer in the airplane has a stopwatch and times a vehicle between two marks on the ground. A simple chart then shows the distance divided by time value and the speed is radiod to a car on the ground.

reply to post by imawlinn


Yes, it is done through timing. In New Hampshire they have white lines painted on the sides of the road. There will be three time zones marked out. They try to get at least two speeds calculated, and will also nail the person behind the one they are timing.

It is interesting to listen to them, although most times I only pick up on the aircraft, but they are amazing at being able to discern the car make and color, and are always double checking with ground officers to verify what they say they are seeing in types of automobiles.

Yes this has been going on for over 40 years.

Get with it

reply to post by herenow

Here in Holland they had radar detectors (illegal) to detect the speed cameras on the ground. The police then came out with a radar detector detector to pull over drivers and force them to give it up. Is having a police scanner in your possession legal? I'm not a driver so pretty clueless about these kinds of laws.

reply to post by LightSpeedDriver


In New Hampshire and several states it is still legal. But many states it is not, I believe, New York, New Jersey it is very much against the law. But they are easier to hide than a radar detector, which can be picked up by the law enforcement.

"Actually, the aircraft do no have a radar transmitter. The "observer in the airplane has a stopwatch and times a vehicle between two marks on the ground. A simple chart then shows the distance divided by time value and the speed is radiod to a car on the ground."

Now I've heard it all. I believe you, and that's kinda sad if you think about it. How can any municipality justify the expense that's obviously incurred by having a "bear in the air"? Haven't they heard of cameras with zoom capabilities? The kind they use in speed traps? They would simply train the camera between two points. They could just as easily use those to do the job of an operater in an airplane. Put a program or application in the camera so when it judges how fast it took you to go between the +'s, as well as your vehicle description, it transmits that info to a cruiser just down the road that has the same application in the in-car computer system. All the cruiser would have to do is "log on" to the part of his/her system with the application. When they leave, log off and let another take their place.

But no, that would save money and make sense in the process. This is unbelievable.

It's 2012 and we have humans in aircraft doing this "job"? With a STOPWATCH of all things?

Try to give me a speeding ticket under that premise and I'll word my way out of that one so quick it'll make their stopwatch run backwards.

Sorry, but I don't see how something like this could stand up in civil court with all the technology we have.

youtu.be...

Originally posted by My.mind.is.mine
I just got off of a road trip to Baltimore & back. On the way back, going through Virginia, and North Carolina, I kept seeing signs saying "speed limit enforced by AIRCRAFT". When I entered zones that had those signs present, my radar detector would detect almost constant K and X class radar to the point where I had to mute it.

My question is, what is this "aircraft"? And how is it that its signal was almost constantly on my vehicle? This lasted for about 55 miles at one point.

This has been going on for as long as I can remember. If anything, you need to get out more.

Originally posted by JoshF

Originally posted by My.mind.is.mine
I just got off of a road trip to Baltimore & back. On the way back, going through Virginia, and North Carolina, I kept seeing signs saying "speed limit enforced by AIRCRAFT". When I entered zones that had those signs present, my radar detector would detect almost constant K and X class radar to the point where I had to mute it.

My question is, what is this "aircraft"? And how is it that its signal was almost constantly on my vehicle? This lasted for about 55 miles at one point.

This has been going on for as long as I can remember. If anything, you need to get out more.

Do you have anything informative to contribute?

I need to "get out more"?

You need to go back and learn how to answer a simple question, or just shut up, or maybe run things through in your mind like "hmmm, maybe he does more flying than driving".....

Oh yeah, gotta be on your toes around those areas.

reply to post by My.mind.is.mine

Do you have anything informative to contribute?

Yes, this has been going on longer than I have been alive.

I need to "get out more"?

Probably.

You need to go back and learn how to answer a simple question

Maybe you should just learn how to read a simple answer

or just shut up, or maybe run things through in your mind like "hmmm, maybe he does more flying than driving".....

yeah you should get out more.

Originally posted by Taupin Desciple

Sorry, but I don't see how something like this could stand up in civil court with all the technology we have.

youtu.be...

edit on 6-2-2012 by Taupin Desciple because: (no reason given)

I agree that these tickets issued by "bears in the air" really shouldn't be that difficult to beat in court. Actually, the vast majority of traffic tickets will not hold up if the alleged offender would just choose to challenge them in a court of law.

I'm not sure of the exact number of traffic tickets that I've beaten in court, but I know I've won at least a dozen times, if not more and I never once used a lawyer.

Back when the national 55mph speed limit was imposed in Texas, the actual legal speed limit never changed from 70mph because the Texas legislature failed to perform the safety surveys that are required, (under the Texas State Constitution) prior to changing the speed limits. Most people were unaware of this little loophole and just went on paying their tickets, but not me. I once beat a ticket where I was clocked on radar at 91mph outside of Beeville, TX.. I would estimate that somewhere in the range of 50% of all traffic tickets could be beat by nothing more than exercising your right to have your accuser present at your trial. You'd be surprised how often they fail to appear.

As sad as it may be, I guess that the moral to the story is that here in America, one shouldn't expect equal justice under the law unless he/she is willing to demand it. Most people either don't have the time or the resources to challenge their tickets, so they just pay the fine and go about their business. Don't think for one minute that the establishment isn't aware of guilty plea statistics either, because they are and they use it to their economic advantage.

reply to post by imawlinn


You are exactly right, that is how they measure your speed from the air. It is the time between the dashes that is measured. Does not seem efficient or cost effective to me.

They have done this for quite sometime, and they do this for various reasons and with motorists being unaware of their presence more likely to issue more tickets. Also as another poster posted depending where you got the ticket just showing up in court to fight it you have a 50/50 chance of getting out of it. Naturally that changes when you leave a big city and get into the suburbs however.

I just heard about "push button phones". Anyone hear of such things?
I guess you don't have to put your finger in the hole and dial you can just push buttons with the numbers on them.
Wow.....