You'd always want to class a pilot to Fighter at the earliest possible (lvl 40).
So no delay classing from Recon (you could have skipped Recon, left the pilot Special Forces until 40 and then class Fighter = 30 points more Repair/Restore).
Further classing (to Ace or not) depends on how many vets you're planning to put on. There are plenty of threads on this topic. One thing, NEVER class Squad leader (this is for the nations that can do this, not MN).