The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. April 17, 2015 Gyrocopter Pilot Who Landed on Capitol Lawn Could Face 4 Years in Prison ------------------------------------------------------------------------- A 61-year-old mailman who flew a gyrocopter onto the lawn of the U.S. Capitol in a call for campaign finance reform has been released pending federal charges. Doug Hughes could face up to four years in prison on charges of violating national defense air space and operating an unregistered aircraft. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Hughes literally flew below the radar, going undetected, before landing on the Capitol lawn. At Thursday's press briefing, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest was asked to describe President Obama's reaction to the protest. Josh Earnest: "I wasn't on the trip so I didn't see his initial reaction. It might have been, 'What's a gyrocopter?' I know that was my reaction. But beyond that, I don't know what his reaction was." Doug Hughes was carrying 535 letters to every member of Congress demanding they take action on campaign finance reform. .