What really pisses me off about these guys that kill their shades is, i've worked my butt off in this game to get into the top 100 in fighter rank and can never get there because guys like these. I go out and get some kills landed in fighter mode and the next day my fighter rank goes south. WTF man! I try to learn tactics,practice turns and merges, fight when I know I can't win.......and for what! Some arse-hole can shoot himself in a dark corner of the map for 2 hours and make me look like I ain't learning squat after 36 tours of flying the same damned plane!
Ok, I'll bite:
Always look at you own stats for information purposes only, don't compare yourself too much with other players. Rank & scores is depending on too many variables. You only know what you have done, what style you fly etc. Don't measure your progression by rank number.
Getting a consistent K/D of 3 in a Hurricane I is an accomplishment but doesn't result in a fancy rank. (On the other hand, getting a overall K/D of 3 in a Tempest is completely unspectacular)
(But if you really want to get in the top 100 for whatever reason: Kill quicker. Probably take more risks. A slight drop in K/D will be offset by a huge increase in K/T)