When American air units had still not gone into action at the beginning of 1918, the likelihood of any American pilot scoring ten kills before Germany's collapse seemed remote. Raymond Toliver and Trevor Constable's 1965 book, Fighter Aces, notes that although the British, like the Americans, never officially accepted the term, "The British, French and Germans set ten confirmed aerial victories as the standard qualification for an ace. The label became popular among military pilots during World War I, when French newspapers christened Adolphe Pégoud as l'as after he downed several German airplanes. The term "ace" is unofficially bestowed on those pilots and weapon systems officers who have shot down five enemy aircraft. Perry Turner, Air & Space's esteemed copy chief, asks: "Can you explain the whole 'aces' thing? How did it get started, and, has anyone ever been "de-aced"?
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