MEET THE FIST THAI BALLOONIST

Capt. Chai Suwathi
The first licensed Thai Balloonist

Capt. Chai Suwathi who's the first licensed Thai balloonist has told a story how he got into flying a balloon, "A friend of mine who's a balloonist came to Thailand and asked me to give it a try. So, I tried and I liked it. Flying a balloon is like flying a plane. I used techniques of wind directions, wind speed and landing that I had learned from school. You got to be trained both on the ground and in the air. After finishing all of that, then you go to take a test in England to get a license. And take the license you've got converted to Thai system."

"I found it was so fascinating that I do it as a hobby because it's a kind of sport that you've got to have shrewdness and experiences. It's required skills which are both science and art. Directing a balloon where you want to is an art."

"Furthermore, safety is an important issue in flying a balloon. A balloonist must be careful 100% and knows how far a balloon can fly. However, using a GPS in nowadays has decreased a number of accidents caused by balloon flying."