This is probably a side-issue, but....
Not to mention those flaps which give you almost hovercraft-like ability.
How sure are you about this one?
The reason I'm asking that is because after the recent patch I seem to be noticing a small but very firm change in how the flaps changes the attitude of the planes. Ironically, the first instance where I seem to have felt the change was with the F4U Corsair. Like you've mentioned, the F4Us from version 1.04 to the previous one, were indeed like 'hovercrafts' as you've mentioned, with full flaps out.
I am pretty sure I know what the USAAF/USN planes can do with their flaps - because my largest gripes, as you would know, were about how 109s with smaller turning radius just couldn't mix-up against US fighters at low speed fights, because the 109s were so seriously unstable and thoroughly incapable of matching the ultra-low speed 'hovering' the US fighters could do with full flaps out. I'm not really adept in flying US planes, but flying against them I've have quite a lot of experience.
However, the I first incident I witnessed was that the F4Us with full flaps out, weren't what they used to be when I was in a test flight in the MA when the new version arrived. I was busy with life, so it was the first time in months that I grabbed a stick. My skill just wasn't up to prime, and I was making sloppy mistakes a lot when I saw an enemy F4U that upped from a CV, clearly intent for a dogfight and not jaboing. He had the higher alt, I was low by about 3,000ft.
The first surprise came when I evaded a few BnZ passes, and the fight changed into a rolling scissors fight. After a failed BnZ pass with insufficient speed to completely get out of my reach, the F4U rolled over and kicked hard rudder into a very tight wing-over style move. Normally, at this point, the 109s couldn't follow it because the loss of control stability prevented it from doing so. And yet, I was able to succeed in it pretty easily, despite my lacking state. This was when I first experienced how improved the 109s were.
Then the typical 'double-helix' type of maneuvering started, where myself and the F4U pilot started a series of matched barrel rolls, each one trying to fly slowest as possible without stalling. Again, this was an inherently dangerous situation for average 109 pilots like me. Instability prevented the 109s from trying this kind of stunt against US fighters with flaps out. The distance was close enough for me, the chasing plane, to visually confirm the F4U was gradually increasing flaps as the fight progressed longer and longer.
Then the second surprise came. Now the distance was very close, inside 200 yards, probably 100 or so, since the distance marker was showing "0". It was one of those situations where I only had to get my pitch up a tiny bit mroe to get a shot in, but trying so would stall my plane. I could very clearly see the very uniquely shaped Corsair flaps spread out to the full. This was the moment of truth - it is usually at this time when the Corsair "floats" with full flaps out, ultra slow flying, hanging by 1 mph or 2 from the stall speed, and still maneuvering in rolls. This is where most planes are forced the overshoot. And yet, it didn't work for the Corsair. It attempted to do so, but all of a sudden, when the flaps were maxed out, the Corsair seemed to drop pitch rapidly, roll to one side, and then crashed to the ground. My guess is that the Corsair stalled at level flight, dropped nose pitch, the pilot increased throttle and pulled the stick back to hold pitch, and it fell under a sudden spin and crashed.
Quite surprised by this, I upped a F4U of my own and started some test maneuvers. What I experienced was that now, the first notch or two of flaps, immediately after being deployed, gives up a much higher nose-up movement than before. But as my turn tightened, trying for the tightest turn possible, I went to full flaps... and then realized full flaps made the plane feel really heavy. It felt like there was something that's holding the plane back - and my guess was that the amount of drag force due to the flaps, have become much higher.
I was able to manage a full-flap, very tight turn with full throttle and ADI(wep), but when I tried a full-flap turn with half throttle, like the F4Us could do before(which almost feels like you're in a helicopter, changing heading while hovering...), it stalled out. It felt like the lack of thrust wasn't enough to overcome the amount of drag the fully spread flaps were giving out.. the plane got really heavy and unresponsive in control.. and then wanted to crash itself.
A bit intrigued by thus, I came to the BBS and found out that P-38 pilots were complaining that their Lightnings became pigs. So I tested the P-38s out and indeed, they just couldn't hold a well-enough turn when it reached full flap status. I quickly tested it out with the P-47s and P-51s too, and it seems this supposed "effect" was also in works with these planes.
Then just today, I met a pretty good P-51 pilot in combat. I won't name him, but he's a good vet around from AH1 days. The P-51 went into a tight loop, I tried to follow in a Bf109G-14. And at the top of the loop, I saw the P-51 wasn't moving anymore. Normally, in the previous versions, this was the moment where the 109 would be decisively outmaneuverd. A low-speed tight loop, the P-51 goes full flaps and finished the loop quickly, the 109 destabilizes and can't follow, and the tables are turned. I was expecting the same thing to happen, cursing my incompetent judgement, when I saw the P-51 "pigged out" on me. At the top of the loop it seemed to just stop moving, as my plane nosed up, the distance closing now to within 100 yards, I saw the P-51 with full flaps out - unable to make any kind of movement in that state.
Now, I am very, very convinced, that the US planes lost a lot of the "stability" they boasted over planes like the 109 - the very issue I complained so often about. Although the effect is probably global, since Pyro said it was so, I'm guessing that it effected two groups of the planes mostly. The ones that were unbelievably unstable, and the ones that were unbelievably stable.
So, I'm not sure if the F4U now has such an easy advantage in low-speed maneuvering over the La-7. It still can dump E way faster than most planes, so the instantaneous turn would be superior... but once the speeds deteriorate to under 300mph, it just won't be able to do the "low-speed hover" trick with those flaps anymore - at least, definately not as easily as they used to.
