The Yak-3 isn't really easy-mode by any means. It's a very capable aircraft, but you have to know how to fly it. Most Yaks are simply annoying at best because most players can't fly them. I've yet to see anyone in game who actually flies it well (aside from Kruel).
My first time flying it was in KOTH and I won the round, it's a plug and play like the Brewster, anyone can jump in a make it doing something special(YES I think the Brewster is easy)
And you are correct for survivability, but that can also be said about a lot of aircraft.
F4U gets in a situation....it dives to friends(Look at your Jayro videos on youtube)
Junky, no where in there did I say the 30mm was better than the 50cal armament, but you have to use the guns in different ways, which makes them difficult to use. Slash attack in the F4U with 50 cals is worse than slash attack with 30mm because not enough 50s hit the plane. The key to using the 30mm is to get your enemy stalled and slow passing right in front of you, to get into this position makes your plane easily pickable but does take ACM to aquire the position. Also you have to be very keen on your SA. With the 50 cals, you want to sprey their wings off as they turn nose down or up, and then extend away. This is a tough shot for a 30mm shottaker to make.
In both planes, it is easy to lose E and get jumped on by getting too slow during your engagement because you couldn't take down the plane on the first pass. It mostly comes down to the pilot. But given the circumstances I'm describing which ballistics work best for the type of fighting style you need to use to fly these planes.
Must have read it wrong, apologies. But I still disagree on the hog being EZ mode, and I understand what your saying about setting up different shots.
If anyone would like to run some tests with me in the DA, we can figure this out in about 30 1v1s.
I'll fly a F4U-1
You fly all the other popular aircraft, we will time the length and records of the fights. Then I will fly a N1K, LA7, Spit 16(An easy mode bird) and do the same. Then I will fly something else like a Mossy, 152, P51B and do the same thing.
I'm betting that the F4U-1 will be a lot closer(Numbers wise) to an LA/N1K/Spit then a 152(Probably my main ride).