After a postal worker flew a gyrocopter onto the grounds of the Capitol to protest American campaign finance laws, worries about security — and the silence of a Florida newspaper — erupted.
Gyrocopter Pilot’s Silly Stunt Was Dangerous, Not Patriotic
Joe Henderson – The Tampa Tribune
The story of the Ruskin man who flew onto the Capitol lawn Tuesday in a small gyrocopter was already bizarre.
Douglas Hughes, a 61-year-old postal worker, at the least violated federal air space and endangered lives in trying to make a point about political corruption. His copter was stuffed with letters for lawmakers about fixing campaign finance laws. That’s a noble sentiment, but there are better alternatives.
Let’s be clear: In my opinion, Hughes’ flight was not, as a friend claimed in a Tampa Tribune story Wednesday, an act of patriotism …
The Tampa Bay Times was essentially embedded with Hughes as he planned and executed his flight of foolishness, and they didn’t let anyone know until his plan was being executed …
But, in both my opinion and others in the journalism community, there was a lapse in ethics by the Times that harms everyone who tries to report and comment on the news.
The Gyrocopter Incident Raises New Concerns About DC Safety
The Editorial Board – The Washington Post
Douglas Hughes, the letter carrier who piloted a featherweight gyrocopter over the treetops to alight on the Capitol lawn Wednesday, was acting out a one-man “voter’s rebellion” …
But why, with all the billions spent on homeland security and the special attention lavished on the no-fly federal core known to aviation officials as Area 56, could the combined agencies — Secret Service, Federal Aviation Administration, Capitol Police, FBI — not shut down Mr. Hughes before he took off from Gettysburg Regional Airport in Pennsylvania or divert him before he reached the Capitol? …
In 2013, the Secret Service interviewed him the day after it was informed by “a concerned citizen” that Mr. Hughes wanted “to land a single manned aircraft on the grounds of the United States Capitol or the White House,” agency spokesman Brian Leary told The Post.
Then, a year ago, when Mr. Hughes announced his plan on his Web site, the Secret Service again took notice …