Some guys are better at getting performance out of certain aspects of an aircraft's performance than others.
This has been shown over and over and it applies to engine management just as much as it does to ACM.
If this weren't true, Charles Lindbergh would never have found himself in a P38.
The cases of Yeager and Hoover getting more out of almost every aspect of a plane than other pilots are also well documented.
Just because another "test pilot" punched it and was unable to match other people's claims doesn't mean the plane was incapable.
