HistoryNet - From the World's Largest History Magazine Publisher » Aces

Was Eric “Winkle” Brown the best test pilot?

smauro — Fri, 15 May 2009 18:22:04 +0000

The July 2009 Aviation History Reader's Poll asks if Royal Navy Captain Eric "Winkle" Brown was the best test pilot to ever live.

Gabby Gabreski: America’s Two-War Ace

smauro — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:40:35 +0000

Gabby Gabreski nearly failed out of his Army Air Corps flight training, but went on to become the top American fighter ace in Europe during World War II and a jet ace in Korea.

Letters from Readers – February 2009 Aviation History

GeraldS — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 21:21:02 +0000

Letters to Aviation History magazine include an eyewitness account of a P-61 Black Widow's crash in New Guinea; memories of WWII Ace Everett C. “Carl” Hargreaves; restoring the Memphis Belle; and how actress Swoosie Kurtz got her name.

Axis v. Allied Fighter Pilots Discussion

GeraldS — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:05:44 +0000

Germany's top World War II fighter ace was credited with 352 victories. The leading Allied ace had 62. Online discussion: What do you think accounts for the disparity between Axis and Allied fighter victory tallies?

Edward Mick Mannock: World War I RAF Ace Pilot

HistoryNet Staff — Thu, 17 May 2007 11:04:47 +0000

Edward “Mick” Mannock, the Irish-born RAF ace of World War I, proved he was a man of extraordinary gifts with his leadership and combat skills.

Richard Ira Bong: American World War II Ace of Aces

HistoryNet Staff — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 13:55:28 +0000

Richard Ira Bong shot down 40 Japanese aircraft and "ruled the air from New Guinea to the Philippines" on his way to becoming America's Ace of Aces.

Interview with Harold E. Fischer: Korean War Jet Ace and POW

HistoryNet Staff — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 14:37:00 +0000

Colonel Harold Fischer survived two years in a Chinese prison camp after getting shot down over Manchuria.

Interview by Bob Bergin

Georges Guynemer: France’s World War I Ace Pilot

HistoryNet Staff — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 14:22:12 +0000

Georges Guynemer was only France's second-ranking ace of World War I, but he remains the most famous of them all.

Captain James Jabara: Ace of the Korean War

HistoryNet Staff — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 11:09:06 +0000

Captain James Jabara became the first American ace in Korea when he turned his fifth MiG into a 'whirl of fire'...and he had only just begun. Before he was done, he would record 15 'kills.'

George Preddy: Top-Scoring World War II Mustang Ace

HistoryNet Staff — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 13:41:28 +0000

With 27 1/2 confirmed aerial kills, George Preddy -- the top-scoring Mustang ace of World War II -- was undefeated until he ran into friendly fire on Christmas Day during the 1944 Ardennes offensive.

By Kelly Bell