You know thats the wonderful thing about AH. It lets everyone do what they want to do.
If you choose to always fly to build your score, hit %, K/d thats your choice.
It may lead you to the dark side, give you ulcers and destroy your life. But its your choice.
Myself I find that perhaps one tour out of 4 or 5 I'll care about rank at all.
Ussually when I happen to get a couple of good fighter sorties early in the tour.
But even half a tour flying like that bores me to no end.
Soon I'm back flyin & diein like normal, just for the sheer fun of it.