On April 15, a 61-year-old man by the name of Doug Hughes landed a single-seated gyrocopter on the West lawn of the Capitol building. Since then, he has been sentenced to house arrest and has been trying the rally groups to support the reason he actually went there.
First captured about hundred yards away from the Capitol building, a short video exists of the gyrocopter landing on the lawn followed by many security guards running to apprehend the pilot still with the running aircraft. First thought to be some sort of terrorist, Hughes was acquitted of that assumption after guards saw the American Postal Service logo painted on the side of the gyrocopter and the multitude of letters addressed to many members of the Senate.
Hughes proclaims the reason he flew to the capitol from his hometown of Ruskin, Florida, was to discuss the effect of spending copious amounts of money on super PACs (political action committees). While it may be an unconventional way of introducing a complaint, many Senate members are agreeing with the gyrocopter pilot.
Still on house arrest and possibly facing up to three years in prison for landing an aircraft in a “No-fly zone,” Hughes doesn’t regret the stunt. In fact, he had been planning it for months beforehand, taking in the account of heavy security. Not much is known about how Hughes was able to literally sweep under the nation’s radar, but because of his risky plan, Hughes has become a minor celebrity from a major event.
Even though it seems this stunt was just for pointing out over-spending problems in political campaigns, this was also a learning experience. Since the incident, the Secret Service has begun testing out new ways of securing the entirety of Washington D.C. government buildings to ensure a fiasco like this will never happen again. After this event, one can expect much stricter security at both the capitol building and the White House.