Officers climb into their fleet of airplanes and helicopters.  In most cases, the aircraft fly for duties, such as enforcing traffic laws and helping with marijuana busts and other arrests.

Every time a plane or helicopter is flown, it costs hundreds of dollars an hour to operate.  10 Investigates wanted to know just how often patrol aircraft fly for pressing law enforcement missions, and how often they go up for less urgent matters, called non-enforcement flights.

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Reporter Paul Aker found many urgent missions but also discovered some top brass frequently flew in style so they could attend meetings or even a party.

10 Investigates pored over flight logs for the past two years and found scores of trips for "non-essential" flights.  Most of the trips aboard the patrol's A-Star helicopters cost between $450 to nearly $800 an hour to operate.

The trips included traveling to meetings, ceremonies, delivering a funeral wreath and attending awards presentations.  We even found a trip to a retirement party taken on the A-star.  The man in charge of the patrol, Col. Richard Collins, was on that flight, Aker reported.

"Our usage is for state-related business and that's what it's for," said Ohio State Highway Patrol Lt. Tony Bradshaw.

According to Bradshaw, each and every flight was necessary.  In all, 10 Investigates found more than 60 flights that were either non-enforcement trips or had no documented explanation.  The total cost for the flights, including the retirement party, was about $50,000.

"If they've got something else set up, they may have to take a flight to go do that and come back," Bradshaw said.  "Operationally, it's more efficient for us to fly out there than drive."

State officials in Pennsylvania and Washington said that they don't fly to meetings at all if they can drive there within two hours.

"I'm not familiar with anything Pennsylvania and Washington are doing specifically but I am familiar with why we do it," Bradshaw said.

He said that often the patrol allows flights for travel to keep its pilot in shape.

Taxpayer watchdog Mike Maurer of the Buckeye Institute does not buy the OHP's proficiency argument.

"I don't see how the argument holds any water at all," Maurer said.  "If you have to keep these guys proficient with what some people would call busy work, maybe we have too many pilots."

Bradshaw disagreed.

"The bottom line is, if they were spending their own money, would they take the helicopter or would they drive it?" Maurer asked.  "If the answer is (that) they would drive it, then by golly, they shouldn't be flying it on the taxpayer dollar."

Several other states said that if they have to fly, they usually take airplanes because they are much less expensive to operate than helicopters.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol said that the top brass often drives to events and has started documenting all flights.

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