Neat-o thread.
I had a great sortie yesterday, but I'm so new I haven't yet discovered the joys of the vid recorder.  I really ought to, the darndest things happen to me.
Will say this-  discovering the thrill of flight in Russian fighters is neat.  Esp. when you have a TBM diving on you, and you're lining up for a high strafe on a C47 skimming the wavetops.
I made a pass on this mid-alt TBM and overshot, and to my chagrin he takes my 6 and stays there.  I start worrying and going thru the motions of a knife-fight, but I keep seeing these tracers fly past me.  I wise up when I glance a goon way below... so I dive on his butt and start trying to shake the TBM.  I learned the meaning of seperation with that move- tracers stopped shortly thereafter, but he kept on me.  I nail the goon and he flounders in front of me... forced him down more than shot him full of holes.  next thing I see, another TBM, so I turn and wail into him... and the first TBM is still ono my tail.  I'm really not enjoying this pursuit, and so I finally get into something approaching vertical with him.  I make a turn at the last, and see he's just reaching the top of a vertical- and between a few lucky pots on my part and a bad stall, I get the upper hand finally.
Course, same pilot shoots me down shortly after, in a F4U.  Go figure.  Did enjoy it though. *S* to him, see if he remembers the saucy Yak.
Regards,
Jay.