Well, I've done this at the highest resolution but am not sure what I'm looking for. There appear to be tiny white dots at certain intervals...but these do not appear to be regular...

You need to get the airplanes radar (or timing) data and flight logs. As stated above, there would also be an ATC record as well.

If there was no plane, there will be no records, and you're off scot free.

You did well...I wouldn't second guess your actions.

Get the FAA data on the "plane", that is very easy.

Enjoy the drive down to contest your ticket, look both ways driving home:cool:

Ticket doesn't name agency. It's a "Washington Uniform Court Docket".

Box for airplane is checked.

1) never argue with the cop on the side of the road, nor do anything that will make them remember you. it's in your best interest to make them forget the incident so when you go to court they won't be able to recall anything.

2) hire a local attorney. it's pointless to try to fight this in court by yourself in a foreign town as it's in the court's best interest to see that you pay the fine. there are lots of threads in the PNW section on here discussing various attorneys, etc.

Call the sherrifs dept and ask for the cop by name.

If they dont know him, do the same with the local PD, and the closest state police barracks.

Still... the best policy is always politeness. It takes 2 to argue and it's tough to argue with a polite, smiling person. Since the cop seemed to want your butt, I'm betting it was 50/50 for your getting off with a warning. If you had been super polite and his story was weak, he would have had a perfect out by issuing you a warning. Saves his face.

Anyway, why didn't he pull the Harley over at the same time? Didn't you wonder about that? If he checked radar on the ticket, you might want to see any hits before and after yours (if there is one). And then see if you can check his ticket book for corresponding citations. Just a thought.

Oh, I just saw that the airplane box was checked.

Don't live in WA but browsed a little and found some links that give things to think about, e.g. need to specifically subpeona officer to the trial, subpeona pilot to the trial, written discovery process, need for timing marks on road or windspeed-corrected airspeed measurement, reputation of the Ellensburg judge, local speeding ticket lawyers, etc.

http://www.speedingticketcentral.com/Washington-State-speeding-ticket.html

http://pnwriders.com/westside/32495-westside-lawyers-2.html

http://www.speedingtickethelp.info/information/13-other-methods.shtml

This is from the section of highway just before I was stopped. Periodically there are little white marks next to the highway—like the tiny white mark on the other side of the highway from the semi-truck in this image. Are these aircraft markers? Not sure. Could be signs, or mileage markers, or just about anything...


http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&tab=wl


Edit: sorry. not sure how to link the satellite view.

Click "link", then copy and paste that [long] url. Tinyurl.com is handy for long urls like these.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1243370420.jpg

Also, you did well to deny that you were speeding. It makes their job a whole lot easier if you admit being at all over the limit.

Great information John. Many thanks. Particularly the first and last links.

I think I know what to do.

I would be interested to hear whether anyone has heard of similar cases where the police fabricated a violation simply in order to issue a ticket.

What happens in such cases? Presumably the police simply doesn't appear at the cort hearing, and that's the end of it. Has anyone ever gone after the police for "abuse of office", or something similar?

you can select the 'link to this' button on the top-right of google maps to copy/paste the link.

If I had been in your shoes, I'd probably have asked the cop to call his supervisor to the scene right there. Once you see the clipboard come out, you know you're getting a ticket and you have nothing to lose by making sure this cop goes on record with his department. If you let his boss know this cop has not heard the end of you, chances are your ticket might just get lost in someone's round file.

I don't think that patrol aircraft fly so high as to not be seen, it is (if there was one) most likely a high-wing Cessna which are easy to spot even at several thousand feet. Unless Washington state has got UAVs...

Let's see if this works:

http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=46.978957,-120.557088&spn=0.002375,0.005407&t=h&z=18

This mark?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1243373243.jpg

Sure. I once got a ticket from a State Trooper that claimed to have a "special" radar that didn't set of detectors. They "tested it" and could never figure out why it wouldn't set off a radar detector. Utter BS. He nailed my brother, too, in the same spot at a different time. Told him the same story....

JR

I know the cone heads told him you were going too fast when they did a fly over on the way back to Mar's..........

bahahahahahahahaha you gotta love creative thinking

Todd

Not sure. Is that from the pic I attached? Is it an aircraft marker?

I would have responded the same way. I was recently ticketed for going 13 over in my neighborhood. I wasn't, and I asked to see the gun (which didn't prove anything, really). I finally relented when I learned I could do driving school, and basically pad their coffers a bit. I figure it was karmic payback for the many many times that I have NOT be caught ;)

However, a state trooper pulling the "invisible plane" bit when you were consciously not speeding deserves to have the force of your legal rights tossed at him.