On interstate in Virginia there are signs that say "SPEED ENFORCED BY AIRCRAFT" How is this possible?

Question

Do they swoop down in an F-18 and make you pull over, or what?

Answer 1

Aerial speed measurement: Officers in light aircraft measure vehicle speeds based on the time it takes to travel between two or more pavement markings spaced a known distance apart. Information is transmitted to officers on the ground who then issue speeding citations.

Answer 2

No, that would be too expensive. They actually use Predator UAVs armed with Hellfire missiles. It worked so well killing terrorists in the Middle East that the government decided to turn its guns on its own citizens. I say it's about time.

Seriously, they watch you from the air as you travel between two marks on the highway that are visible from the air. If you get from one mark to the other faster than you should, the aircraft radios the cops on the ground and they nail you. For example, if the speed limit is 60 miles per hour, that's one mile a minute. If the markers are one mile apart, and you get from one marker to the next in less than one minute, then you are speeding. As you can probably imagine, this not a very cost-effective way to trap speeders. Aircraft are extraordinarily expensive to operate when you figure in fuel, maintainance, the salaries of at least one, maybe two crew members, and insurance, especially compared to stationing a few radar-equipped cops by the side of the road.

Answer 3

I've actually seen what happens, Driving into Winnemucca, Nevada a Cessna Caravan was flying low over the highway ,they hit you with some type of light do determine your speed, then another driver speeding passed us doing 80 MPH and the speed limit was 65 MPH, so they radio an officer who's ahead and waiting for a call and the car pasts them and pulls them over. Its actually pretty cool to see.

Answer 4

The aircraft checks your speed. Then they call an officer in a patrol car and they stop you.