Some states in the U.S. use aircraft to enforce speed limits along highways and Texas is one of them.

The concept started in California in 1960 when the California Highway Patrol used aircraft for traffic spotting. The CHP started using planes in conjunction with ground units to enforce speed limits in 1981.

Since then, other states have picked up on the enforcement method to varying degrees.

Is speed enforced by aircraft in Texas?

Speed limits enforced by police aircraft can be done, although it is not something the Texas Department of Public Safety does routinely, DPS spokesperson Oscar Villarreal said in an email.

“What may occur is if aircraft observes reckless driving or other egregious violations, they contact the nearest trooper, and a marked patrol unit would handle the situation,” Villarreal said.

So if you get stopped for a speeding violation in Texas, it won’t be a plane swooping down to give you a ticket.

In Texas, DPS has an aircraft division with a fleet of 15 helicopters and nine airplanes. The agency employs 50 police pilots, 25 tactical flight officers and five support personnel.

The Aircraft Operations Division in Texas is mostly used for catching fugitives, locating suspects of crimes and helping with security at the border, according to the DPs website.

Sometimes, aircraft are used to help with speed enforcement.

How aircraft speed detection works

Patrolling roads and highways to enforce traffic laws in rural areas, specifically speed rules, can be challenging for law enforcement. Aircraft have in recent years been used to help.

With the help of aircraft, there are two ways authorities gauge a vehicle’s speed:

• Calculating how fast a vehicle is moving by timing how long it takes to pass between two highway landmarks.

• The aircraft paces the moving vehicle. Like their ground counterparts, pacing is done by following the vehicle in question for a distance at the same speed based on the patrol car’s speedometer. A patrol does the same from an aircraft.

The aircraft on patrol will then signal a ground patrol vehicle to pinpoint the speeding car.