He switched to aviation , first as a transport pilot , then as a fighter - bomber pilot .
Thao Ma began his military career as a paratrooper in the French Union Army , when France administered the Kingdom of Laos .
Thao Ma switched to aviation , first as a transport pilot , then as a fighter - bomber pilot .
Thao Ma began his military career as a paratrooper in the French Union Army , when France administered the Kingdom of Laos .