"As for the best pilot dilemma..."
Pick a paid subscriber at random, make it one of the incentives to sign up. That way, no-one would know if the pilot was good or not. People would be encouraged to take on the modern jet, because there might be a chance that the pilot would try low-speed dogfighting with Hurricanes.
Alternatively, instead of a Mig-29 - which would involve rewriting Aces High to account for guided missiles, avionics etc - choose a gun-armed post-war jet plane, preferably one with as few electronics as possible. Such as an A-10, or a Vought Crusader, or a Hawker Hunter. For the bomber pilots, pick something post-war, but simple, such as a Vulcan or Canberra. Something that could be added without rewriting the game, and that isn't such a conceptual leap as a missile and radar-equipped technoplane.
It would also have to be able to land on Aces High's runways without ploughing off the end.
