If you're a little more selective on how you enter a furball, you can give yourself more options as the fight degrades. This can be accomplished with just about any plane without having the pure get away speed the 51 carries. Your P-38 Kung fu is pretty strong. With a couple adjustments, you'll be in the SAPP category and pretty lethal.
You hit the nail right on the head.  I need to work on that.  My ability to select the right entry into a furball is getting better but still not good.   Once I get too deep I start loosing SA and when I do that, I waist E and as all know, E is life in a furball or for that matter, any dogfight.  
Another problem is that decision point on the deck to flat turn low g or high g or try to reverse with a high yoyo.  Latrobe had made note in another post that a high yo-yo can be a real looser sometimes. 
You got me cranked.  Next time back in the MA I will go back to the P38.  Maybe even find me a 109 or two.   
 
 