10 Of The Most Legendary Fighter Pilots In History

Ever since mankind took to the skies and started shooting at other people while airborne, the iconic image of the flying ace has captured the popular imagination. Whether behind the yoke of a biplane or a hypersonic jet, combat aviators have carved out a reputation as fearless fliers whose exploits have shaped the course of the war over the past century and change, tallying victories with their skill, strategic brilliance, and the ice water that flows in their veins.

As air power became one of the defining elements of modern warfare, a select group of individuals harnessed the power of cutting-edge technology to dominate the skies and shape the course of combat, and perhaps even history itself. Through their fighting spirit and unmatched prowess, these aces of air combat set the standard for aviation and etched their names in the annals of legend.

Here's a look at 10 of the most decorated, most skilled, and most daring pilots to grace the cockpit.

The name at the top of this entry might not ring any bells, but that's only because its bearer was widely known by another moniker: "The Red Baron." Anyone who follows combat aviation history, has ever watched a "Peanuts" cartoon, or has eaten a frozen pizza since the 1970s is familiar with "The Red Baron" moniker, and that it's attached to the most feared of World War I flying aces. Air combat was still in a nascent phase during Europe's Great War, but Manfred von Richthofen was one of its premiere practitioners, notching 80 kills in his signature Fokker DR-1 triplane. For many pilots, attempting to camouflage their ride was a way of pursuing tactical advantage, but the Red Baron's bright, scarlet paint job told potential opponents they were about to face off with the German Empire's most feared aviator. 

As the leader of a unit called "The Flying Circus," von Richthofen earned his notoriety over the skies of Europe during World War I. Despite his flamboyant reputation, nickname, and vehicular decoration, he was generally a conservative flier, preferring ruthless effectiveness over flash and derring-do. His reign in the skies came to an end in 1918 when, under combined fire from anti-aircraft ground installations and a plane piloted by Canadian ace Arthur Roy Brown, von Richthofen was fatally wounded and crash-landed. "The Red Baron" was only 25 years old at the time, but he'd done enough to solidify his place in aviation history.

There are pilots on this list with flashier, more numerically impressive careers than RAF pilot Douglas Bader. Perhaps some had better stick or gunnery skills, and others, like the Red Baron, certainly had a more fearsome reputation. However, Douglas Bader's story is significant, given that every single one of his 24 recorded and confirmed kills was notched after he lost both of his legs in a 1931 aerial acrobatics accident. At first invalided out of the Royal Air Force due to his condition, he reapplied for service once tensions began rising in Europe, and was reinstated in November of 1939. 

Assigned to 242 Squadron, Bader was made squadron leader during the Battle of Britain. By the end of 1940, he had led his crew to a total of 67 enemy kills, one Distinguished Service Order, and nine Distinguished Flying Crosses. He was shot down and captured by the Germans in 1941, at which time his right prosthesis was damaged. A special order was given by Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering allowing for the delivery of a new leg from England, delivered via an unrestricted "bombing" run by a Bristol Blenheim. Bader's captivity ended when the camp where he was stationed was liberated by U.S. forces in April 1945, and his legend would grow with time. He passed away from what was believed to have been a heart attack in 1982, just two months after the release of "Reach For the Sky," a film based on his life. 

World War II produced no shortage of airborne heroes, but on the Allied side, none could match the kill count of Ivan Kozhedub. The Ukraine-born flying ace recorded a confirmed 64 kills, although an anecdote says that it could have been more given Kozhedub's unwillingness to be credited for downing a plane he didn't see hit the ground with his own eyes. Getting his start as a flight instructor for the Red Army, Kozhedub put in a request for active duty once Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, but it wasn't until June 1943 that he was commissioned for combat. One year later, he would be awarded the second of his three gold stars as Hero of the Soviet Union, having completed 256 sorties and taken out 48 enemy planes.

While his kill number is obviously impressive, the shiniest bit of his legacy may be that he was the first Soviet pilot to shoot down a Messerschmidt-262, the Luftwaffe's pioneering combat jet, and is one of the few pilots to have done so at all. He was also never shot down himself, managing to land his plane after every round of combat, even after receiving damage. Details of his combat skills and techniques are still studied by Ukrainian pilots to this day.

If you grew up American with any interest in aviation in the second half of the 20th Century, you're most likely familiar with Chuck Yeager. The West Virginia-born pilot earned his greatest fame as a test pilot, including being the first flier to break the sound barrier, which he accomplished in the Bell X-1. His name was so synonymous with aviation that, when video game company Electronic Arts published its first flight simulator game in 1987, it was titled, "Chuck Yeager's Advanced Flight Trainer." All of this, however, shouldn't overshadow Yeager's accomplishments as a combat pilot. During World War II, he flew missions in the venerable P-51 Mustang, earning a reputation for flight skill and keen combat strategy. In October 1944, he was the first pilot in his group to make "ace in day," marking five enemy kills on a single mission. He's also one of the very few pilots of any nationality to shoot down the Messerschmidt-262. 

After his combat career ended, Yeager enjoyed a long tail of fame and stature. His sound barrier-breaking effort became the stuff of legend, and he'd go on to command the Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School to train pilots for the space program. He passed away in 2020 at the age of 97, but not before having flown faster than the speed of sound once again at the age of 89, on the 65th anniversary of his record-breaking feat, no less. 

While it's fun watching fictional pilots engage in stick-twisting dogfights in pop culture products like "Top Gun: Maverick," the truth is that air-to-air engagements of that sort have been a rarity in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, especially for American pilots. Increasingly advanced jets and weaponry have made the kind of seat-of-your-pants combat skills that were displayed through the Vietnam War less of a thing, overall.

Still, there have been pilots out there getting the job done for decades in conflicts all over the world, and one of the most recently decorated was Cesar Rodriguez. On his retirement from the Air Force as a colonel in 2007, Rodriguez had on record three air-to-air kills, which were the most for any active duty pilot at the time. His total tied him with three other men for the being closest American to becoming a flying ace since the Vietnam War.

Two of Rodriguez's kills took place during the Gulf War, during which he piloted his F-15 against Iraqi MiG-29 and MiG-23 platforms. The third occurred during peacekeeping operations over Kosovo, during which Rodriguez downed a Yugoslav MiG-29 on the first night of the campaign.