Is there a more iconic figure in history, folklore and/or legend than the fighter ace? It could be argued that the Old West gunfighters fall into that category. Or knights of yore. But, they somehow don't "feel" the same.
It's difficult to identify with historical characters like cowboys and knights because they are just that: historical. They belong to a time long past. Not so the fighter ace. They still walk amongst us. They are flesh and bone and, even though most are aging, we can revisit their world courtesy of film and audio. And thus, we can more easily identify with them. Gunfighters and knights have been so fictionalized, we no longer see ourselves in their shoes/boots/armor. But, at some point in their flying career, every single pilot who is granted a license has fighter pilot fantasies.
When we started putting this issue together, there was an awful temptation to stick with the tried-and-true: the Dick Bongs, Pappy Boyingtons, etc. They are superstars in the aviation publishing game: big names always sell magazines. But we didn't want to go the "me too" route. There were too many aces who were wildly overshadowed by those whose names we now know well, yet the difference may be only a few victories one way or the other. So, we decided to tell stories that haven't been told a million times and introduce our readers to pilots they may not know.
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