Yes, I realize it is just a game. The problem is that the game just is not fun for me anymore.
When I first started playing this game, the emphasis was on air to air combat. New players died, learned how to fight, then fought and won (or lost, what matters is they fought). Yes, you had a few extra-timid people that typically bore n zoomed, but it wasn't very many. As time went by, and the population increased, the average "skill" of the arena went down. As time continues to pass, the problem (as I see it), continues to get much worse.
When I first started playing, it was possible to take off, fly towards an enemy base, and have a guy take off from that base to meet you. In fact, that was the normal scheme of things. Small fights dominated. A "furball" with 20 guys in it was a big furball. As time passed, and the average "skill level" of individual players went down, this behaviour started to change. Now, you can probably count on one hand the number of enemy planes you see flying by themselves even if you fly the entire day. Instead of small, relatively even fights, there are gigantic lopsided crusades (for lack of a better word).
When I first started playing this game, people took pride in being able to fight. If a particular player was known as a "good stick", it meant he was good at fighting other planes. People like that were approached to be learned from (I know I did my fair share of .join in my first year or so of playing). Now, people not only lack the ability to fight... they take pride in lacking that ability. Instead of relying on themselves, they rely on superior numbers to get kills, and superior speed to run away should they find themselves in a position where don't hold every possible advantage. Even when it is absolutely clear they have no chance of escaping... they don't try to fight. They try to flop around and keep running. This, more than any other factor, is contributing to my overwhelming disgust for this community.
When I first started playing this game, there were actually "communities" within the community. You had a couple squads that flew the P-47, and flew it well. You had a couple squads that were dedicated P-51 fliers. There were several outstanding squads flying LW planes. Of course, you also had squads that flew no particular plane, but just enjoyed one anothers company and so flew together. All of that is gone today. There are no P-47 squads that I know of. They finally came to the realization that the game had gotten to the point where it wasn't possible to fly the P-47 "competitively" and have fun and be successful. There is one dedicated LW squad, that has embraced the "fighting" style encapsulated in the above paragraph. Other than that, there are no dedicated squads that I am aware of, unless you count the squads that are de facto dedicated to the Nik, Spit, and La-7. In short, instead of having groups of people that were recognizable and distinct... there is one mass of people that is just ... there.
In short, I suppose I could just say that AH has changed so drastically in the past three years that it is a completely different game. By the way, Funked, this would probably be a good post for your "Angstonizer 3000" or whatever it was called. It'd fit a little better in this one.
