Yeah, it's also the plane that you don't need skill to fly and kill too...
LA7 is not an easy plane for noobs, other than hit and run, because it packs on speed too easily, requires throttle work, and it IS an energy fighter compared to the ubiquitous Spits and N1Ks, after all. And since the patch, it seems to actually have the sort of accelerated snap stall you'd expect out of a plane with this weight-to-power ratio, as opposed to its former handling, which was strangely benign. (Patch has eliminated the bad views though, with thinner frames it now has a claim to pretty darn good all-around vis.) Spits, Hurris, and N1Ks will always be easier for noobs to fly in furballs, base defense, etc.
That said, the problem with the plane is that in experienced hands it absolutely out-classes all the other LW high-speed E fighters at typical MA alts. The 190s, 109G/Ks, P-51s, P-47s, and Typhoon literally have
no decisive advantages over it down in the weeds where the fighting usually is. (Earlier, using a combo of small-yo-yos, throttle, and flaps, I was able to stay more or less saddled behind a turning Spit16 in an LA7, and eventually shoot it down, takes awhile with my gunnery. Doubtless the pilot was probably inexperienced, but that is still crazy turning performance in a plane that will also go 380 mph on the deck.)
Something that basically renders five important families of LW aircraft obsolete under typical MA conditions seems abit extreme. Fortunately, it seems that once pilots gain experience, they usually do not fly the LA7 beyond desperate base defense. But there is no guarantee that the cultural bias against the LA7 will always be sufficient bulwark.
