HiTech,
In my experience I think the frequency of an 88 hit on a manuevering fighter is a wee bit high. No specific testing outside of hundreds of hours in the MA.
Regardless, I think the part that gets most people (myself included) is the INSTANT DEATH. No losing an aileron or an engine oil hit, with 88's it's INSTANT DEATH almost every time. If even 50% of 88 hits were surviveable you wouldn't hear as much whining.
g00b