Photo by Greg_in_ohio

If you regularly drive on Virginia highways, you’ve surely seen the signs that warn of an eye in the sky just waiting for you to drive a little too quickly: “Speed Limit Enforced by Aircraft.”

But as the Daily Progress reports, the planes the commonwealth once used to look out for the lead-footed have largely been taken out of commission, so much so that there have been zero flights this year:

The General Assembly approved the program in 2000. From that point to 2008, it netted 5,117 tickets. In the four years since, the total has fallen to 87, including zero this year. No speed enforcement missions have been flown this year, said state police spokeswoman Corinne Geller.

“We’ve cut back significantly because of the cost associated with operating an aircraft,” Geller said.

An hour in the air costs about $150 to cover fuel and maintenance costs, Geller said. Missions range from four-and-a-half to six hours, she said.

“It is a bit manpower-intensive,” she said.

Three officers are required for the missions: one on the ground and two in the plane, all of which must undergo training to become certified.

According to an Examiner article from February, the quixotic speed enforcement program has been dying a slow death—in 2011, only one mission was flown, while three were flown in 2010. Still, the idea itself might survive: earlier this year law enforcement officials discussed the possibility of using unmanned drones to monitor traffic, though actually doing so is a few years off.