Arrested: Doug Hughes was put under arrest for his gyro-copter stunt and charged with operating an unregistered aircraft and violating national airspace . The postal carrier who flew a gyrocopter onto the lawn of the U.S. Capitol is facing two criminal charges. But he's being released from federal custody to return to Florida. Doug Hughes made his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Washington on Thursday. That's one day after he steered his tiny aircraft onto the Capitol's West Lawn after flying through restricted airspace around the National Mall. He was charged with operating an unregistered aircraft and violating national airspace. Hughes said it was a political protest. Hughes was released on his own recognizance afterward and instructed to check in weekly with authorities in Tampa starting next week. In a soft voice, Hughes appeared to ask the judge a clarifying question about that obligation but otherwise he did not say anything significant. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Thursday that the copter 'apparently literally flew in under the radar,' as concerned lawmakers questioned how it was allowed to happen and why. Johnson said it's too soon to say whether Wednesday's incident should prompt changes in security procedures. 'I want to know all the facts before I reach an assessment of what can and should be done about gyrocopters in the future,' he said. But lawmakers said the incident exposed a gap in security, especially amid revelations that the pilot, Florida postal worker Doug Hughes, was interviewed by the Secret Service almost two years ago. The agency apparently determined he did not pose a threat, said Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the senior Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Cummings spoke Thursday with the Secret Service director. 'I think that there's absolutely a gap, and it's a very dangerous gap, with regard to our airspace,' Cummings said. 'I don't want people to get a message that they can just land anywhere. Suppose there was a bomb or an explosive device on that air vehicle? That could have been a major catastrophe.' How'd it happen? Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Thursday that the copter 'apparently literally flew in under the radar,' as concerned lawmakers questioned how it was allowed to happen and why . Approach: The small gyro-copter (circled in red) lands on the West Lawn of the Capitol in Washington as members of the public walk by. The stunt hasn't cost him his freedom, yet, but means he must check in with authorities every week as he awaits trial . Johnson said the Secret Service passed along the information from the interview with Hughes, who was to appear in court Thursday afternoon, to 'all of the appropriate law enforcement agencies.' House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called the incident 'stunning.' 'What safeguards can we use? We don't want to be a place where we're saying `This is an iron-clad Capitol.' And have such restrictions on people having access to it,' Pelosi told reporters. 'Nonetheless, we have to ensure the safety of those people.' The tiny, open-air aircraft landed without injuries to anyone, but the incident raises questions about how someone could be allowed to fly all the way from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, right up to the Capitol. Hughes has said he was making the flight to publicize his concerns about the corrupting influence of money in politics, and deliver letters to all 535 members of Congress on the topic. 'We are a democracy. We don't have fences around our airspace, so we've got to find the right balance between living in a free and open society and security and the protection of federal buildings,' Johnson told reporters on Capitol Hill. 'And so we want to stay one step ahead of every incident like this, but then again, you don't want to overreact, either.' Still, lawmakers questioned why, if authorities had been in touch with Hughes, no action was taken to stop him. Practice run: Doug Hughes flies his gyrocopter near the Wauchula Municipal Airport in Wauchula, Florida prior to his 'insane' stunt on Wednesday . Before Doug Hughes made headlines by flying his open air helicopter onto the U.S. Capitol grounds, he blogged about his intention to undertake the 'non-violent demonstration.' Though, it may have been a demonstration years in the making. In a post dated September 2013 on the democracyclub.org, a writer called Tampadoug47 wrote: . Let me say first – this is a non-violent demonstration. I have no intention of hurting anyone – I have taken every precaution to prevent any injury to anyone, including me. There is no way I can prevent over-reaction by the authorities, but I have given them as much information and advance warning as my fuel supply allows. When I took off, I was over an hour away from the no-fly zone. The demonstration is about restoring democracy. Corruption in Washington DC has robbed the US citizens of the representative government that is our birthright. Polls show that the public is aware of the problem and VERY concerned, but they are largely uninformed that there is a solution and there are organizations prepared to make reform a reality. As a result of this flight, two things will happen. (I hope.) First, we’re going to change the narrative – the story. Voters are going to quit being played like suckers with divisive hot-button issues and come together on a single issue. Honest government. Congress won’t start working for you or me when their big paycheck is from big business. Lobbyists, Special Interests, Unions. We have to make this happen. The political parties won’t. Congress sure won’t. Lobbyists love the status quo. The mainstream media (not the local media) is making a financial killing with mega-elections. It’s up to us. Second, in every Congressional race in 2016, I want every candidate to take a stand on corruption. After this flight, we’re going to define exactly what reform means – set a written standard – and it’s that standard which candidates will have to endorse. Or the candidate will have to defend to voters why he took a lesser position. The candidate who only wants to talk ‘reform’ but won’t endorse the real deal will be facing someone who will endorse real reform. That may be in the primary or the general election. Giving you a choice is our job. The clear choice, establishment or reform, will be in place in just a year for just over 460 congressional races. You get to choose (That’s your job as a voter.) but for the first time in decades, you will have a meaningful choice. What do I want from you? Look over your options on the previous screen or the ‘Honor Roll’ on the sidebar to the right. Rootstrikers or Wolf PAC or Represent.US. My favorite group isn’t listed there – it’s my own startup group:‘The Civilist Papers‘. Find a group (or groups) that you are comfortable with and sign up. We’re not after money – we want to know who you are and where you are so we can keep you informed. Protest flight: Doug Hughes took off from an undisclosed location in Washington D.C. and landed his gyro-copter on the West Front lawn of the US Capitol building . 'My concerns are the prior notice that he was going to do this and the lack of response,' said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. 'These small aircraft or UAV devices concern me because they could go undetected and cause damage, so that's something we're taking a look at,' McCaul said, adding he might hold hearings on the issue. Cummings and others also complained that they were not notified of the incident and that many first learned of it from the news media. Johnson defended existing protocols for dealing with the restricted airspace over Washington, D.C., federal buildings and monuments. 'We've got a well-coordinated federal response to dealing with issues of those who penetrate the restricted airspace without permission,' he said. He said his first reaction on hearing of the incident was to ask, 'What's a gyrocopter?' It's not unusual for a small aircraft like a gyrocopter to go undetected by conventional radar. Unlike most larger aircraft, a gyrocopter doesn't have a transponder that identifies the aircraft, its altitude and heading. Even without a transponder, radar can detect 'primary targets' - planes, flocks of birds, rain and other objects. But how well it can detect those objects depends upon several factors. The landing on the Capitol grounds 'just illustrates how hard it is to have an impermeable barrier. It's very hard to hermetically seal airspace,' said John Hansman, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology aeronautics professor. Evidence: The illegally landed craft  was piloted by Florida mailman Doug Hughes to protest against government corruption and to promote campaign finance reform . Evidence: The illegally landed craft  was piloted by Florida mailman Doug Hughes to protest against government corruption and to promote campaign finance reform .
Doug Hughes appeared in U.S. District Court in Washington on Thursday, one day after he steered his tiny aircraft onto the Capitol's West Lawn . He was charged with operating an unregistered aircraft and violating national airspace before being released on his own recognizance . He was sent back to his Tampa home, where he must check in weekly with authorities starting next week .