Doug Hughes flew his fragile little ultralight gyrocopter through some of the most closely protected airspace on the planet on Wednesday. The gyrocopter successfully landed on the West Lawn of the US Capitol. Hughes, a 61-year-old mailman from a small town on Florida’s Gulf Coast, has been in love with flying since childhood and his latest stint was meant to end corruption in the nation’s capital. He is very much in favor of campaign finance reform.

Capitol Police said Hughes remained in custody Wednesday evening. Hughes announced his plans on the Internet and in his hometown newspaper.

He said he badly wanted to do his bit to stop corruption in the nation’s capital. A big US Postal Service insignia was attached to the aircraft fuselage. He loaded it onto a trailer Friday and drove north.

His endeavor was not postal, but airborne, to distribute 535 letters to members of Congress, asking them to make the rules on money in political campaigns stricter.

He didn’t any intention to hurt anyone, Hughes wrote on his website, the Democracy Club.

Air defense systems failed in detecting the copter as it entered restricted airspace above Washington, said a North American Aerospace Defense Command spokesman. The gyrocopter continued flying because nobody attempted to stop it. A gyrocopter sounds like a lawnmower and looks like a flying bridge chair.

“We are trying to determine the why, but I can say we did not scramble asset. The pilot was not in contact with FAA air traffic controllers and the FAA did not authorize him to enter restricted airspace”, said a statement from the agency’s spokeswoman, Laura Brown

According to the FAA, a pilot needs prior coordination and permission before flying in that area at an altitude below 18,000 feet. The violation of the rule may lead to the pilot face civil and criminal penalties.

Some Washington residents spotted the mailman coming, but it was surprising that the guardians of the nation’s airspace completely missed it.