OK...here's what I have so far...
1. Never had any other Barclays cards before 2017
2. Instant approval AA Aviator w/ 50K bonus 05/2017 (just before they upped the bonus, doh!)
3. Cancelled AA Aviator (in #2 ) on 11/09/17.
4. Applied 2nd AA Aviator on 12/15/17, app went pending.
5. Checked Barclays online account this morning, 12/17/17, and it now lists a new card account.
So, looks like it may have worked. My question is...if the card is approved does that mean I definitely got the bonus? It's not in the wiki (and it should be if true), but I thought I read that Barclays won't approve you if you are not eligible for the bonus.