Most of us are here to play cartoon fighter pilot, to try and recreate in some small way the daydreams we had as kids of swirling dogfights in the air while staring at a small armada of model aircraft hanging from the ceiling over our beds. This is a game, what those pilots you were reading about were participating in was a war. This game has far more in common with those childhood daydreams than what our communal heroes had to deal with. Here the consequences of deliberately not taking that first and potentially only shot in favor of an engagement of maneuver are not nearly has dire.
What you say is essentially correct. But carry it further. Consider that many of us are trying, in some small way, to fulfill our daydreams a little bit, to experience what those historical pilots actually went through, and try to mimic how they flew and fought, within the limitations of this sim.
While considered the more 'chivalrous' service in WWI, it was not in WWII. It was kill or be killed, without warning, by ANY means possible. And it was never a duel. I've seen the statement often that 90% of kills occured without the victim even seeing his opponent. Definitely no honor there, nor any 'dueling' mentality.
But, this is a historical simulation AND a game, so people are free to play it any way they want to. Some people want to play the game in the MA's just for 1v1 fights, and it's their dime to play that way. I think they are missing out, but I'm not going to complain about it to them.
However, what I do take issue with is, these are primarily the people who whine about HO's. The other side of the coin is, the other guy is playing it like it really was, and it's HIS DIME TOO. So he plays it with no honor rules, no chivalry, no tipping the hat or handshake before the fight. It's the way it was, and even though this is just "a game", that's what's fun for them. Once in awhile these styles of play clash and that's to be expected, but in the aftermath, to even raise the issue of HO or no HO, honor or no honor, ACM or no ACM, is so pointless and worn out, it's beyond stupid.
And crying about the HO is something that contributes to the one thing about this game that I deplore. That it's given me a whole new perspective on the extreme lack of tolerance and manners of people in our society. More people than I'd ever have thought if I hadn't experience online gaming. Yes, I know, some is just smack talk and wonder weenies spouting off, but where there is smoke, there is fire. Too many people just love to rain on someone else's parade.