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Gyro-Copter Lands On West Lawn of US Capitol, Pilot Arrested

Posted by samzenpus on from the just-mail-your-taxes-next-time dept.

An anonymous reader writes that Doug Hughes, 61, a mailman from Ruskin, Florida was arrested for landing a gyro-copter on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. "A 61-year-old Florida mailman was arrested Wednesday after he landed a gyrocopter on the U.S. Capitol west lawn. The gyrocopter was carrying the pilot and 535 stamped letters for members of Congress urging 'real reform' to campaign finance laws. Doug Hughes told the Tampa Bay Times ahead of the afternoon stunt that he notified authorities 'well over an hour in advance of getting to the no-fly zone, so they know who I am and what I'm doing.' Capitol police sent dogs and a bomb squad to the scene. Nothing hazardous was found. A city block from the Capitol had been cordoned off."

6 of 327 comments (clear)

  1. I can't really blame this guy by mrsam · · Score: 5, Funny

    Cut the guy some slack. He simply wanted to fly to D.C.; he had his own gyrocopter, and he really didn't feel like having his nuts groped by the TSA.

    Can you really blame him?

    1. Re:I can't really blame this guy by MightyMartian · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Because having his nuts groped by the Secret Service will be a far superior experience.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  2. Delivering the Mail by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 5, Funny

    A 61-year-old Florida mailman was arrested Wednesday after he landed a gyrocopter on the U.S. Capitol west lawn. The gyrocopter was carrying the pilot and 535 stamped letters for members of Congress urging 'real reform' to campaign finance laws.

    So in other words, they arrested a Federal Employee on Federal Property for doing his job.

    1. Re:Delivering the Mail by amicusNYCL · · Score: 5, Insightful

      No, they arrested an idiot who is supposed to have a pilot license who does not understand the concept of a 'no-fly-zone'.

      You might be the idiot. He fully understood all of the implications of what he was doing, and worked out several scenarios. His expected scenario was that a Blackhawk would be scrambled from Quantico, but would overfly him as he was flying so low and slow, and he hoped that by the time the Blackhawk caught up to him that they would have orders to not shoot him down. His biggest worries were that he would be shot down or that he wouldn't have the nerve to do it in the first place. I can't imagine the adrenaline going through him as he was flying across the national mall in sight of the Capitol without a single LEO or military aircraft in sight.

      http://www.tampabay.com/news/p...

      He's right, too. Campaign finance laws and all of the corruption that goes with them is the single largest problem with the current government, and apathy from people like you helps to ensure that it doesn't get fixed. Go on, citizen, stamp the vote card. R or D, your choice. Whichever R or D you want to pick will be just fine.

      --
      "Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
  3. Balls of steel by ArylAkamov · · Score: 5, Interesting

    What a man. Even if you disagree with his message (I can't think of anyone who would) the sheer courage to go ahead with this plan is astounding. What a man. Can we donate to his legal fund yet?

  4. Re:Shocked he survived by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 5, Funny
    • It might have landed on a box
    • It might have landed on a fox
    • It might have landed on a house
    • It might have landed on a mouse
    • It might have landed here or there
    • It might have landed anywhere
    • it might be singing Joints and Jam
    • I do not like that Will-i-am