Downtown,
I'll try to answer each point you have raised above. It may sound like I'm telling you stuff you already know. If that's the case skip to the next point.
Overall though it sounds like you are getting frustrated from being killed more than you kill other people. You'll just have to trust me that it's a part of the learning curve. It is frustrating but sooner or later you'll work out the "why" and turn it into a "won't happen again". My current "why" is "Why does Jekyll kill me all the time". The answer is I blow my energy advantage and he turns the tables on me. The solution is that I have to fly smarter now.
I put that circle on planes in an HO and they kill me, and fly on as if unhit. The best solution is to fly so you don't get in a head-on situation. If you can't avoid a Head on then start firing at 1.2k and aim a little over the top of their plane. As they get closer, (say 700-600 yards), drop the center of your sight on to the center of their plane. The ballistic path of the bullets at 1.2k means you have to aim over the top of the target aircrat to "lob" the cannon shells onto the target. Like the panzer lobs HE Rounds to a target.
If I am shooting at a turning plane, again in convergence a short lead that has them again inside of comvergence seems way ahead.You just have to get used to the ballistics of each plane and it's weapons. I'd suggest picking one plane and fly only that plane for a month. You will get used to the planes characteristics faster than if you fly a different plane each night. I did this with a P38 and can now hit a high deflection nearly head on pass out to 800 yards now.
Shooting at planes from dead six appears to be high.Fire closer in, (say 150 yards), but leave your convergence settings at 275-325. The convergence is where the most rounds will hit and cause maximum damage but also means you have a smaller strike zone. Bullets hit harder at 150 yards than 300 yards so they can be more spread out. This is oversimplifying however keep firing inside convergence settings. You will still get hits and cause damage.
Almost always my tracers appear high or low. They look like that because of the the flight path of the round and the natural dispersion of the rounds due to the machineguns shaking the plane. The rounds still converge at the range you set.
I thought I would do much better with the gravity correction in 1.02, but alas I don't think I am. Just something to get used to, (I'm consistently between 10 and 13% accuracy since beta tour 2). It's not the gravity.
I find it hard to believe its rubber bullets cause kill shooter test works, I see sprites, RW and Typing replies are usually immediate. You are right it isn't rubber bullets.
I am pretty good about hitting ground targets. You pull less G forces firing at slow moving ground targets. Firing at planes that are banking and climbing can put up to 3 times as many G forces on your plane, (positive or negative G's).
I think the fixed bore site test I am asking for would help me. It might but I don't think HTC will rewrite the code just to reset the sights.
I am really worrying cause I can fly next to someone from my squad in the same plane, the are faster. Everyone at one time or another flies faster or turns better in the same plane. For example they may use more rudder to turn tighter, (but they bleed energy faster than you). That's just a difference between pilots and how they trim their planes.
I fly the same plane against an enemy and they easily outmanuver me, even when I start with altitued and speed advantages. Same here with me against Jekyll. I think it's because he practices more than me as well.
I know who some of the real pilots are, and it seems like I survive longer against them, but ultimately get killed. Look at the score pages and see who the top pilots are in kills per death and then look at their kills per time. The pilots who survive the most take the longest to get a kill because they won't try to press a bad situation. Just wait for the other guy to make a mistake. You seems to survive better because they are waiting for you to make a mistake. As you get better they will make the mistake and you will kill them!
It also seems that the plane I fly is more fragile than if someone else is flying the same type. Yep, it always seems that way for me too. It's because I'm not a great fighter pilot, (I prefer to fly bombers).
I am becomming very frustrated. I'd suggest asking a trainer for help. They can strengthen your good points and help correct the weaker ones.
Spotcha in the Air
raxx