kind of a hard a question, for me to answer.......... I have been playing since 1994/95 and I am unable to recall the enormous amount of different players that I have played against......
but a different stages of time throughout my time in these games, their has always been someone better
and it goes for each and everyone of us..... there will always be someone better........ you know when you are a noob or newb........ you know when you think you are starting to become better, then after that you know when you think you are at the top of your game..... not talking about being cocky or smacktalking, or ego chest thumpin, etc.... just simply you feel you have reached your best ability
then you start the down hill slide.... either from being burned out on the game, or becoming injured or your health starts hitting you wrong, then as you keep going, your age starts making your reaction/response time slower, your brain becomes weaker in the sense of it is like memory deteriorating , etc... and/or the pain (for some) simply makes you fly like a newb again or interfers with your ability
I have had some that could whoop up on me in a handful or less of certian plane type(s) at different stages of my trip....... but I can absolutely not think of a single player that could own me in every single plane type......... through out my time of playing
what helped me the most, long ago, was that I had some good Instructors/trainers .......... and some of them are still here today playing in AH
what I find to be the most important about playing these types of aerial combat simulation is how one carrys themselves and how they treat their fellow player/community member!
& 
TC / VlPER
That about covers it. Depending on where you are in you cartoon flying, the amount of time you put in varies. The stay up all night, fly a million hours, try and be the best days are long behind me. Not that I was ever the best. But that was in Airwarrior. The wife started looking at me funny as did my boss. It kinda came home quickly that being the bestest cartoon pilot ever wasn't worth alienating those folks
That's why it kind of cracks me up when folks start claiming this guy is the greatest ever or that guy is. As Shane pointed out, "Any given Sunday". I had a guy get worked up a while back as he shot me down a couple times in my P38G while he was flying a Spit VIII. Just for giggles I checked and I'd flown all of 9 hours that month, and he'd flown roughly 9 Days. Anyone that's that determined and can spend that much time sitting at his computer flying, had better kick my tail across the arena. But I don't know how you measure that when you throw out names. All of those names were newbs once, flew long hours once, don't fly as much as they did, and probably got over themselves being a cartoon "Ace' in the process
All I know for sure is I can still give folks a good fight when the time comes, and that's what I enjoy, win or lose
