I have no clue if it is right or wrong. I never flew these plains in real life.
Well you had no problem implying that they had been made to turn better to make the game easier. I simply disagree with the reasoning behind that change, if such a change was indeed made (I obviously wasn't playing AH at the time you referenced.)
The reality is that no one can claim that the models are right or wrong (ok, maybe 99% of the people). Sure the numbers used may be accurate but the actual modeling (code) it self, how would I know? So now the question is, how do you know?
I can't tell for sure. I can only compare the way the plane flies in game to what I've read about the aircraft from people that flew them and flew against them including Eric Brown who flew scores of WW2 aircraft from all different nations. It is my understanding from my own reading on the subject that the Bf109 was quite maneuverable up until the later models of the G series (G-10 and later variants) where so much weight was added to the airframe that the wingloading increased to a point that the maneuverability suffered as a result. While even the early 109s could not best their Spitfire contemporaries in terms of turning radius, it was quite possible for a good pilot to turn inside of a Spitfire long enough to achieve a victory. For proof of that, I point to Hans Joachim Marseille:
Marseille said that in such conditions, there's a lower chance and too little time for the usual chase attack method, and preferred to use high angle deflection firing from short range while making a sharp turn. In doing so, he never used his gun sight and instead fired a very short burst at the passing target in the split second when its leading edge, its propeller, disappeared from his eyes behind his aircraft's nose.As for the Corsair, it had something like an 11:1 kill ratio in air combat in WW2. That speaks for itself but it is not difficult to find comments regarding the Corsair such as this:
How can the Corsair be evaluated? Its standing as a major combat aircraft of World War II can not be denied. But its merits, or lack thereof, have always been controversial. The Corsair was fast, sturdy, powerful, well-armed, and versatile. Its handling qualities were widely criticized, but an experience pilot who knew the strong points of the aircraft could outmaneuver fighters that were praised for their handling and maneuverability.That comment there pretty much jibes with what I see in this game. Someone that knows what they are doing with a Corsair can indeed outmaneuver some of the supposedly more maneuverable fighters but that certainly isn't true from everyone. The person at the controls is way more important than what virtual aircraft they happen to be flying.
My point is that if the Corsair and 109s used to be unmaneuverable bricks and if they were changed at some point so they weren't, it wasn't to make the game easier. It was more likely done to make them perform more realistically because in reality they were not unmaneuverable bricks. Indeed, I don't have first hand experience to support that assertion but as I said, there exists plenty of evidence to support my statement.
Ho can you tell if the always - as we are told by the experts here - perfect models are correct or if they have been improved? The only thing I can tell is that they change every so often and some things went from hard to easier. Does that make them more accurate?
Well you are apparently an exceptional virtual pilot and that has been confirmed by other parties here. Just because you can get in an inferior aircraft and outperform someone flying a better aircraft doesn't mean that the flight model has been dumbed down to be easier. It means you're good. I know personally when I am flying a Spit IX, I don't fear a turning engagement with a 109G-6 and definitely don't with the G-14 or K-4. I find that the 109s up to the G-2 are pretty good dogfighters. The G-6 is kind of iffy and the G-14 and K-4 are strictly B&Z fighters in the hands of all but the best sticks.
With the Corsair, it all depends on how the fight goes and if they are able to get their flaps down. Without flaps, they can't turn with a Spit IX, they just can't. Again, it comes down to the pilot. A good Corsair pilot will give you a tough fight in a Spit IX, a poor one will be quickly shot down.
