The ability for Historical Aces to be shot down before their official, historically correct kill date does open up another very interesting problem: The potential for the skies to be devoid of Aces.

Remember, in WOFF missions are going on all over the front, no matter if you are there to see them or not. Every mission is a chance for a HA to be shot down and killed without the player ever having seen them. I understand why people think it's frustrating to shoot down an Ace and then see them up and flying the next day, but I prefer that to the alternative.

Imagine coming up against the Flying Circus and there is no Voss, no Red Baron?

What a let down that would be. The skies would feel empty without them. If the Aces can be killed by the player before their "due date" then they are going to be able to be killed by other AI as well. Given the number of missions that are flown every day, I think you will find the skies to be devoid of many great personalities without you ever having had the chance to meet them. And who can you replace them with? Nobody. They are just gone and you have no chance to ever meet them, or anyone of their skill and fame.

Perhaps a good compromise would simply be that when you shoot down an Ace, you get a newspaper headline that says "Player rank and name - has defeated the great (German, British, American, etc) Ace, (HA Ace's name). (HA name) lives to fly again!"

Then a big deal has been made over your victory, as it should be, but we all expect to see that Ace up in the skies again. Of course it is not perfect, but at least you get the chance to meet the Aces, test your skills against them and if you succeed, there is a bit of a celebration and acknowledgement of your victory. It's not just another kill. It's something notable. Maybe even have that automatically recorded in your Flight Log too.

Nothing is perfect, of course, but it's an idea. I would just hate to meet B Flight of 56 squadron and among them there is no James McCudden. He died 6 months ago to a nameless AI, having never lived long enough to achieve the victory tally that he had earned in real life.