The phrase "air ace" is correct and usable in written English.
It is typically used to refer to a skilled or accomplished pilot, especially in combat situations.
Example: "During World War I, many pilots were celebrated as air aces for their remarkable aerial combat skills."
Alternatives: "top pilot" or "flying ace".
The leading American air ace in Europe, Francis Gabreski, shot down 28 German planes.
On July 5, flying near Évreux, he downed his 28th German plane, becoming the No. 1 American air ace of the war at that point.
A14 OBITUARIES C16 Francis S. Gabreski The leading American World War II air ace in Europe who later headed the Long Island Rail Road was 83.
Air Vice Marshal Johnnie Johnson, the British fighter pilot who shot down 38 German planes, becoming the leading Allied air ace of World War II in Europe, died yesterday at his home in Derbyshire, England.
In the Wild Blue Yonder Francis S. Gabreski, after whom the Suffolk County airport in Westhampton Beach was renamed a decade ago, was a national hero, the top American air ace in the European theater during World War II.
But the following year, he flew fighter sweeps and bomber-escort missions as wingman for Douglas Bader, the legendary British air ace who lost both legs in an air crash in 1931.
The intrepid air aces, meanwhile, slipped away immediately on the whistle to compound what may be seen as a felony by going back to pose for photographs.
Compared with the air aces who held the line against Hitler in the dangerous summer of 1940, the army seemed an object of derision, even pity.
Some missions are strictly for the money, but Zachary and his fellow air aces follow the tradition of Hollywood pirates, spending more time saving the innocent than lining their pockets.
"This is what flying was really about in the first world war – people remember the air aces and the dog fights, but they were really only operating in support of the observers".
Maj. Gen. Marion E. Carl, one of the leading Marine air aces of World War II and a record-setting test pilot, was shot to death on Sunday night in a robbery at his home in Roseburg, Ore., the Douglas County Sheriff's Department said.
