How much difference did ace pilots make in WW1 air battles? Did

mostly a morale effect

>>3199862
Impossible to know dude.

it was all about skill, altought design and engineering were at warp speed

>>3199862
Not that big of a difference because a singular pilot can only cover a tiny fraction of the front. So even if he defeats any opposition at one point it won't matter at a larger scale.

Lone pilots can't really do a lot. The point of the "ace" program was largely morale; the idea that you're flying with famous Spicy Spic or Slimey Limey or Kucked Kraut alongside you would undoubtedly give you some level of comfort.

Aces also give constant stories for the home front as once they're a celebrity, every little detail matters.

In the end though they were just good pilots who did more impact in the way of scaring the enemy than they did of killing them.

>>3199862
1 kills 10 is better than having 10 that kill one.

There were no average pilots. Either you were an ace or you got shot down the first couple of times you flew.

>>3199862

>How much difference did ace pilots make in WW1 air battles?

A lot. The most dangerous time to be a fighter pilot is when you're just starting out, and you don't really know what you're doing. Getting enough confirmed kills to be considered an ace (at least 5 I think is the threshold) means that you've gained enough experience that you're far less likely to be killed on future missions. At that point you're a very dependable asset. Even better if the government is forward-thinking enough to occasionally rotate out successful fighter pilots back to flight school, so that they can help train new fighter pilots. Having experienced fighter pilots teaching at the flight schools means that your newer pilots will start off in a better place, which increases the survival rate and overall effectiveness of your air force. So yes, aces are quite important, because they are very dependable assets in the air, and also valuable as instructors on the ground. And as others have pointed out, having heroes that you can showcase for the people back home is a nice bonus as well.

shooting down observation balloons can´t be that hard

>>3202391

Shooting down observation planes which are escorted by fighters is that hard.