Experimental airplane 'Breezy' the star of the show in Oshkosh

MONEE, Ill. - It's an airplane ride like no other, and now, the experimental aircraft named "Breezy" is set to star once again at the nation's biggest air show.

Next week, more than 600,000 aviation fans will descend on Oshkosh, Wisconsin for the annual EAA Fly-In and once again, one of the stars of the show will be Breezy, created in the south suburbs more than 50 years ago.

Rob Unger's father Carl was one of three professional pilots who built the first Breezy in 1964 — an experimental aircraft that was revolutionary for its time.

Next week, Unger, who lives in Tinley Park, will fly a replica Breezy — an exact copy of his father's plane — to the Experimental Aircraft Association Fly-In in Oshkosh, where it's made an appearance every year since 1965.

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FOX 32 asked Unger what kind of reaction the plane gets from people.

"Wow! So they're a little intimidated at first, but when they get on the ground they want to get back up again because it's really neat. It's a lot of fun," Unger said.

The whole idea of Breezy is to give the pilot and up to two passengers the experience of open-air flight, with the seats mounted at the very front of the plane.

"The idea was to have as much of the airplane disappear and have the open view. This is about as you can get to flapping your own wings," Unger said. "It's just roads, houses, greenery. It's just beautiful. The wind in your face."

During his long lifetime, Carl Unger gave some 14,000 rides to people on Breezy, to celebrities, astronauts and political leaders. But more often to kids, hoping to spark a love of aviation.

"And many of those kids he gave rides to went on into aviation. Some were astronauts, Air Force, corporate pilots, airline pilots," Unger said.

Now, the original Breezy has been retired to the Aviation Museum in Oshkosh where the replica Breezy will visit next week and perhaps give some ridealongs.