:iagree:

I know in WA state on some of the more open parts of I-90 (major highway) there are aircraft patrols which consist of light planes being flown overhead of the highway. They run what is essentially a dash cam like in a squad car, and use a combination of radar/laser within a certain range, and also the previously mentioned hash marks

hmmm interesting, what exactly is a hash mark though? As my friend was saying, its one thing if a cop gets you on the side of the road with a radar gun or you drive by them going to fast, but how accurate can a helicopter or airplane be? Thats what my friend is trying to figure out

they can get you for speeding in a variety of ways.

a friend of mine got a ticket because his average speed between two easy pass stations (a few miles apart) was to high. He made it to the next easy pass to quickly and the easy pass came up as a red flag and wouldnt let him through...cop walked over and told him to pull to the side of the road.

If they used the hash marks on the highway then they were using a stop watch and a lookup chart, not radar. There are air to ground radar systems but they are very expensive so not sure how prevalent they are outside of the military.

Either way, if you appeal you are entitled to discovery. File a motion with the court for the state's evidence, if they fail to produce the evidence then it is likely that your case will be dismissed. The evidence will allow you to do additional research into the potential accuracy of the speed measurement, and allow you to challenge on certain grounds.

Those lines going across the road on the highway... The airborne officers will time you from line one to line two, then divide that distance by your time, arriving at your average speed between two points. If the points are 1/2 mile apart and it takes you 24 seconds to go from line one to two, you're doing about 75 mph...

Yes, this is what my friend intends to do. He said that he wants proof or evidence from the air radar that he was indeed going the speed they clocked him at. The hash marks/stop watch method could prove to me a tough thing to argue, but if it was indeed an air radar then proof should be available.

When aircraft are used in California, the spotter in the plane simply times you between painted marks that have set distances apart on the freeway. Once you are clocked they just call ahead to a waiting CHP.

Simple physics. Rate = distance/time

The stop watch method is subject to human error, but the error has to be significant to throw it off. At 60 mph you are covering a 1/4 mile every 15 seconds, at 90 mph you'll do it in 10. They might be off by 0.1 to 0.3 seconds due to parallax error or reflexes.

No "air radar" used. Just timing the car between 1/4 mile hash marks on the road. I got nailed once in my '79 280zx by a state trooper helicopter. The trooper that pulled me over thought it was hilarious that my radar detector didn't warn me.

Interesting stuff, thank you for the info. I think my friend is going to appeal it and ask the troopers for evidence of his clocked rate of speed.

I was in the same boat as you until 2 weeks ago. My buddys gf was coming back to Kingston from Cornwall and she received a ticket from air-patrol.

Apparently what happens is they time you going between certain lines/points to see how much you're speeding. Then they phone to ground patrol and a cop car will find you on the 401 and issue you a ticket. She said that when she was pulled over the cop informed her that he didn't see her speeding, but it was from air patrol.

So weird.. don't we have better things to waste our tax dollars on??

Tell your friend to get a lawyer.
It will help in making things easier and show he is trying to be professional and not just some 'punk kid.'

So did she appeal it or is she going to pay the fine?

lawyer up, will be expensive now but will save you cash in the long run