Flying The Breezy Can Require A Fluid Imagination ... And An Iron Posterior

By Dave Juwel

For the 50th anniversary of the Breezy, a number of the aircraft are on static display at AirVenture this year. Though similar in make, each of them has customized changes to suit the owners. But most people see the Breezy as a local flight machine. You give rides, you take-off and land, and you give more rides. Riding in one is more fun than anything you can find to do at a major amusement park, and it's hard to find an aircraft that makes you feel more connected to the earth-air environment. It's a wonderful way to introduce people to the realm of flight. But just when you thought there wasn't anything more you could do with a Breezy...surprise!

One Breezy on display is an RLU-1 Dawes Breezy that showed up completely amphibious in nature. It can carry three people, and it has a combination beer and nautical motif. It is awesome to look at (and more so to fly), and it's called the "Sea Breezy."

Paul Breed and his son flew in from Yakima, Washington in a Super Breezy; almost 1400 nautical miles of flying. They took five days to accomplish it. Well clothed and helmeted, it still was an arduous journey because of the breeze, the seats that got harder per mile, and the noise level from their up-close-and-personal relationship with their 180hp engine. However, they said it was the most awesome way to see our wonderful country.

They circled Mount Rushmore five times and even gave short rides at their fuel stops. They used Delorme Inreach to track their flight, and Foreflight on their iPad for their other flight bag needs. If they had to do it over again (which they'll have to do to get back home), they recommend you take a month instead of doing it in five days. One of the interesting aspects of their machine is that the passenger rides up front. The instrument panel for this particular version of a Breezy is viewable only from the rear seat.

FMI: www.breezyaircraft.com, http://share.delorme.com/paulbreed