The Aviation Section provides aerial traffic enforcement, traffic congestion management, and other aerial law enforcement services in support of the Patrol's public safety mission.

The WSP Aviation Section utilizes five Cessna fixed wing aircraft to perform public safety missions, including two Cessna 206 equipped with gyro-stabilized Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) cameras. The Cessna 206 FLIR aircraft, with its zoom cameras, thermal imagers, digital recorders, and microwave downlink capabilities proved an effective tool to locate and apprehend aggressive drivers, reduce collisions (aerial pursuit management), reduce traffic congestion (improve identification of blocking incidents on state highways), enhance response to hazardous material incidents on state highways, reduce vulnerability to terrorism, and enhance emergency response and recovery from attacks that do occur (proven during homeland security exercises only). Since terrorists could potentially destroy highway infrastructure (including WSF terminals/boats), the prevention of a terrorist attack is directly linked back to traffic safety and the efficient flow of traffic in Washington State.

Pilots in the Aviation Section assist troopers in detecting traffic violations from the air as well as providing assistance to agency staff and local jurisdictions with drug enforcement, aerial surveillance, and transporting donor organs and blood supplies in medical emergencies.