Virginia woman stunned as she opens her mail to a speeding ticket after ignoring 'speed limit enforced by aircraft' sign

Speed limit enforced by aircraft? ‘Pfft. Yeah, OK,’ thought TikTok user Saige Playton as she drove past the sign in her Virginia hometown.

But later, as she flipped through her mail, she found herself holding a speeding ticket. “I didn’t believe it but I guess they were serious,” her caption reads.

Playton’s video has now racked up more than 2.2 million views, turning a throwaway moment into one of the internet’s latest ‘wait, that’s real?’ discoveries.

So, let’s unpack it.

VISIT SBX CARS – View live supercar auctions powered by Supercar Blondie

Speed limit enforced by aircraft?

As far-fetched as it sounds, aircraft speed enforcement is real – and it’s exactly how Saige Playton got caught.

The system uses planes or helicopters to monitor how long it takes a car to travel between two fixed points on the road.

Officers time that distance manually or with tools like radar or VASCAR, which uses a camera and onboard computer to calculate average speed.

If you’re found speeding, the aircraft team radios officers on the ground, who either pull you over or issue a ticket by mail.

The method isn’t new, but it’s rarely used. Why? It’s expensive to operate, and far from perfect – reading license plates from altitude is tough, and slight errors in timing can result in incorrect speed calculations.

Still, in this case, it worked.

Playton, who lives in Virginia, found out the hard way that some states still use it – and her video now serves as unexpected proof that a Virginia speeding ticket can most definitely come from the sky.

And it’s not the first Virginian road rule to be catching drivers off guard.

Why this enforcement method is making a comeback

Aircraft speed enforcement might feel outdated, but in some regions, it’s quietly sticking around – and even making a comeback.

In open or rural areas where patrol cars are easy to spot, aircraft offer a stealthy advantage.

Drivers tend to ignore the signs, thinking they’re just scare tactics. And for law enforcement, that makes them effective.

With more than two million views, her ticket is proof that ‘speed limit enforced by aircraft’ signs aren’t just roadside decoration.

And while many people online joked about the idea of a ‘silly little plane’ catching speeders, others admitted they never realized the signs were real and said they’d think twice before ignoring one again.

Whether it’s an outdated tactic or an underrated tool, aircraft enforcement is clearly still in operation.

And thanks to one viral video, a whole lot more drivers are now watching the skies – especially anyone hoping to avoid a surprise Virginia speeding ticket in the mail.

Watch Saige’s TikTok video below:

@notpaigeslayton_ I didnt believe it but i guess they were serious #speedingticket #ticket #speeding ♬ original sound – Saige Playton

Click the star icon next to supercarblondie.com in Google Search to stay ahead of the curve on the latest and greatest supercars, hypercars, and ground-breaking technology.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie