Balloonist man from Myanmar

Painting of U Kyaw Yin

      When the British ruled Burma as a slave, many ethnic groups reacted in a natural way. U Kyaw Yin, a Dawei man, was among them. U Kyaw Yin, a balloonist is Myanmar’s first airman. He was once one of the most famous and well-known figures in Burma. From 1929 to 1939 (56- to 66-year-olds), he designed five balloons and traveled 55 times around Burma, inventing balloons in his Burmese-only drawing career.

Childhood

Kyaw Yin was born on January 15, 1873 in Pandale Village, Launglon Township, Dawei District. His parents are farmers, U Shwe Bwar and Daw Min Re To. He was the fifth of seven children. Since he was  a young man, he studied at the monastery in Auk Yae Phyu village and successfully passed the government military grade. Maung Kyaw Yin, a wise man, was found by the traveling minister, U Tun Ohn, who took him by requesting the monk and his parents to continue his education. Maung Kyaw Yin passed the seventh grade in Pyinmana and worked as a middle school teacher. In the meantime, he studied English and passed the entrance exam for his hobby of drawing. In this way, U Kyaw Yin became an illustrator in Dawei Upper (1).

At the age of 31, U Kyaw Yin married with Daw Ma Ma and settled in Dawei. Newspapers at the time often reported on foreign plane crashes, and Kyaw Yin devised ways to reduce the number of fatalities, even if the plane crashed. He then experimented with prototype aircraft. Following the publication of the Thuriya newspaper, a British airline contacted the Myanmar Governor’s Office to design the aircraft.

While the airline and Kyaw Yin were texting while the World War happened. At the end of the war, contact with the airline was severed. Probably due to the cancellation of the airline. Meanwhile, a person wrote an article in the newspaper Myanma Alin. The article humbly wrote, “I had heard that Maung Kyaw Yin from Dawei used to fly a plane, but now he is dead or alive.”

Kyaw Yin wrote an article in the Thuriya newspaper. Kyaw Yin’s article challenged his claim that he did not boast that he could fly an airplane and that he had written about how to prevent crashes in the sky when aircraft crashed.

Balloon Flying

Kyaw Yin thinks from all angles to show his ability. After retiring at the age of 55, he embarked on an adventurous balloon venture in his mind. Kyaw Yin first designed a balloon. He then went to his native Pantale village with his artisans to sew a balloon using 24 sheets of 80 taung.

When the balloon is completed, it will be smoked 30 feet high. It has about 100 taung and is as high as the top of a palm tree. However, the news leaked and Dawei authorities banned Kyaw Yin from flying the balloon. Kyaw Yin asked for permission again, but was denied, so he could not get permission from the Tanintharyi Region King. Finally, he asked the Burmese governor for permission. In 1929, with the permission of the governor. In March, it was preparing to fly a hot air balloon inside a field in Dawei. Authorities personally drove Kyaw Yin to the hot air balloon ride.

When the balloon swells, the suspension is removed, and Kyaw Yin ascends to the sky with the balloon, holding the bar attached to the string attached to the balloon’s ridge. Fans clapped and cheered. The balloon soared about two miles [10 km] and landed about a mile [10 km] from the stand.

Kyaw Yin’s news spread throughout Burma, and in 1930, under the auspices of the Rangoon National Sporting Club, a hot air balloon flew over Kandawgyi Island. At the beginning of the balloon flight, the rope was shaking. I was hit by branches. He survived by hanging from a branch of a tree, but the branch fell off and hit a boulder at the base, injuring him slightly. The newspaper reported that Kyaw Yin had promised to report the incident again if the wound healed. After that, it was successfully run three times in Yangon. All proceeds were donated to the city hall construction fund, minus expenses.

In 1934, during a hot air balloon ride in Myeik, it fell into the sea. The balloon is not as controllable as it needs to be, it rises as high as it wants and falls where it wants to fall. Therefore, it can be said that it is a very dangerous business. However, until his death at the age of 66, Kyaw Yin flew 55 balloons throughout Burma. All proceeds were donated to a social fund.

Enthusiasts

When Kyaw Yin flew the hot air balloon, many people envied Kyaw Yin. One of the most famous was Prince Chit Swe Gyi of Stan. Myaga Naing, directed by U Tin Maung from A One Film, has a room to escape by flying a hot air balloon. Following the police (modern police force), the villain, Prince Stan, had to flee in front of him, and when he reached Sanchaung Padoma Stadium, he pushed away Kyaw Yin, who was pretending to be a balloonist, and fled. Stunt Prince Chit Swe Gyi played the role of the villain by flying a hot air balloon.

Prepare a female superhero

As the balloon flight became more and more popular, a female superhero reappeared. The woman was from Tamwe. Vine water pot stand Tin Nu is the daughter of actress Daw Mya Gyi. Tin Nu is only 20 years old, but she is brave. Even the British government became alarmed when word spread that a Burmese woman, Tin Nu, would fly a balloon. The British did not allow the Burmese woman, Tin Nu, to embark on a life-threatening hot air balloon ride, even for men. However, Ma Tin Nu was later renamed Ma Tin Nu Balloon.

U Kyaw Yin and his family

Prepare for the end of life

In 1939, U Kyaw Yin died on April 3 in his hometown of Dawei. At the time of his death, he was 66 years old. [3] U Kyaw Lin; Writer Dawei Kyaw Min; Cartoonist Cartoon Kyaw San (KS) and cartoonist Daw Thein Shin are the children of balloonist U Kyaw Yin.

Addition:

U Kyaw Yin has 10 children

They were remarked as Tin, Yin, Din, Min, Lin, Shein, Sein, Myint, San, Su

1. Daw Thein Tin
2. Daw Thein Shin
3. U Kay Din
4. U Kyaw Min
5. U Kyaw Lin
6. Daw Shein Shein
7. Daw Sein Sein
8. Daw Myint Myint
9. U Kyaw San
10. Daw Khin Khin Su

# References

* Weekly Eleven News, No. 9, Vol. 4, December 10, Wednesday, 2008 Daily Journal; From Tin Naing Toe’s “Those Who Envy Hot Air Balloon U Kyaw Yin” featured in “Personal Life”

* First Myanmar Air Force (Htay Maung) Science Magazine.

Burmese hero U Kyaw Yin, who dared to fly a balloon adventure, Nwe Ni Magazine, July 1999

Author: Agga

Translator- Phoenix