Maybe not fully answering your question, but it is interesting that there were Furballers and Cherrypickers in real life too...
People like Werner Voss and Albert Ball had short, brilliant careers, taking on the enemy at any odds and often coming back in damaged aircraft. Ball's VC citation reads: -
For most conspicuous and consistent bravery from the 25th of April to the 6th of May, 1917, during which period Capt. Ball took part in twenty-six combats in the air and destroyed eleven hostile aeroplanes, drove down two out of control, and forced several others to land. In these combats Capt. Ball, flying alone, on one occasion fought six hostile machines, twice he fought five and once four. When leading two other British aeroplanes he attacked an enemy formation of eight. On each of these occasions he brought down at least one enemy. Several times his aeroplane was badly damaged, once so seriously that but for the most delicate handling his machine would have collapsed, as nearly all the control wires had been shot away. On returning with a damaged machine he had always to be restrained from immediately going out on another. In all, Capt. Ball has destroyed forty-three German aeroplanes and one balloon, and has always displayed most exceptional courage, determination and skill.
He figured that if he attacked a large formation of German aircraft, he should at least be able to shoot down one and then use superior aerobatics/speed to evade.
Voss took on Se5a's of 56 Squadron for ten minutes single handedly in his final fight, never once trying to escape. 56 Squadron was the top RFC squadron and the flight was full of aces: -
"Capt. J. McCudden, No. 56 Squadron ... saw a S.E.5a fighting a triplane, so with others dived at it, and for the next ten minutes the enemy triplane fought the five S.E.5s with great skill and determination. Eventually, however, it was destroyed by 2nd-Lieut. Rhys Davids of the same squadron, who had previously driven down a two-seater. . .The triplane was seen to crash in our lines by other pilots and the other occupant proved to be Lieut. Werner Voss, who was killed." Royal Flying Corps Communique
"I shall never forget my admiration for that German pilot, who single handed, fought seven of us for ten minutes . . . I saw him go into a fairly steep dive and so I continued to watch, and then saw the triplane hit the ground and disappear into a thousand fragments, for it seemed to me that it literally went into powder." James McCudden
"His flying was wonderful, his courage magnificent and in my opinion he is the bravest German airman whom it has been my privilege to see fight." James McCudden
"If I could only have brought him down alive..." Arthur Rhys Davids to James McCudden
On the flip side, you also had the very thorough pilots who would only attack on favourable odds. These racked up high scores but never had the glamour or fame of the above.
For example, Rene Fonck was the top scoring allied ace of the First World War, he is hardly well known because he was a careful, arrogant man and had none of the charisma of the more famous aces. Amongst his countrymen, Guynemer and Nungesser are much more famous despite having much lower scores.
I think that these types are easily recognisable in Aces High, so i believe that this directly relates to real life.
