Criminal... He got prison... That is just plain criminal...

Gyrocopter pilot gets prison time for Capitol Hill landing

By Brianna Ehley

The Florida mailman who piloted a gyrocopter over Washington, D.C. and landed on the West Lawn of the Capitol last year was sentenced to 120 days of prison, U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips announced on Thursday.

Douglas Hughes of Ruskin, Fla., pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia last fall for flying his gyrocopter without a license into D.C. airspace. Hughes, dressed as a mailman at the time of the incident, said he was protesting campaign finance laws and came to deliver letters to members of Congress.

After serving his sentence, Hughes will be placed on one year of supervised release. As part of the plea agreement, he agreed to relinquish his gyrocopter.


“Douglas Hughes intentionally violated one of the most secure and restricted airspaces in the world, placing himself and countless others at risk,” Phillips said in a statement. "Today’s sentence holds him accountable for his reckless acts and hopefully will deter others from attempting to violate the airspace surrounding Washington, D.C.”

(Funny, the most secure airspace violated by a "toy" and landed on the lawn of the capitol.. This was payback for making them look stupid...)