IMHO, the ace of the base was the guy who had the knowledge of the aircraft and mission, the hands to fly the machine adequately, the judgement to say OK or No Way as the situation warranted, and the leadership to be a guide to the newer aviators.
Generally, the ace was a known quantity, a cool guy and a good friend to the bunch. A lucky unit has its instructor or ops officer as the ace.
Also, I really can't believe that Lu could drag himself into dominating this thread, too, with his off the wall stuff, including anti-semitism and 1947 bull s**t. This is getting a bit much.
[ 10 December 2001: Message edited by: Nick Lappos ]