No.. E retention in maneuvering is definitely better in the 152 and IMO it's at least as good and important as vertical performance. Combine that with the ability to make killshots with just 1 bullet and you have a plane that can afford to use absolutely no energy to make (track during) its shots. Only fly the ACM and stab the trigger at the right time.
From the start the premise was on potential.. Like I said, the 51, while very marginally being worse than the 152 in absolute potential, is much better in real world conditions where the imperfect non-zen pilot doesn't know the plane like the back of his hand and makes mistakes, etc. The point of contention that led to this 1A-152 comparison was how some planes were only potentially perk worthy, and how that was a good demonstration of why pure potential wasn't a comprehensive enough criteria for ENY. The 152 is definitely a good example.
But I maintain the tangent that flown at 100%, the 152 beats a 1A also at 100%. We're talking about the planes, not the pilots.
It's not just that the 152 is superior "in that type of fight"*. It's that the 152 is superior in the MA, and consequentially lower on the ENY scale. The 152 is probably more of an 8-10 ENY plane, but the 1A certainly isn't. That's the perspective of the argument.
*That was why I made that "apples and oranges" comparison, with the 262. Why would the 262 be considered lesser to any prop because it doesn't turn or accelerate as well at lower speeds, when it can clinch a win or make the other guy forfeit by staying fast? The 152 can do as much with the 1A (I've never had any trouble with 1As in the MA when I (admittedly not that often) fly "unfair".. never. Only the -4 can really keep up). Whether in a 1:1 vs the 1A, or in the MA furballs, that means the 152 is definitely better. Maybe not by much on paper, but in practice it's a significant difference.
