Feds Come After ‘Gyrocopter Guy’

The Florida mailman who achieved infamy Wednesday by flying a gyrocopter onto the lawn of the Capitol was charged with two federal crimes Thursday: violating restricted airspace and operating an unregistered aircraft. Sixty-one-year-old Doug Hughes “literally flew under the radar,” as Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson put it, drawing alarm about security risks. “I don’t want people to get a message that they can just land anywhere,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD). “Suppose there was a bomb or an explosive device on that air vehicle? That could have been a major catastrophe.”