Looking at the second video I noticed the following:
1. In some cases your reactions are a bit slow. During that first merge, you had a con low to your left with speed and you kind of watched him go by before making your turn. I think you need to time your turn towards as he is passing you. If you're breaking after he's gone past, then very often it's too late to get on him. In this instance, he had plenty of time to extend and come back around on you.
2. I'm seeing a lot of flat or nose-low turns. Basically you are trying to pull a hard turn to get on a con's six, but the turn you want is far too sharp to pull off. In order to avoid blacking out or stalling, you need to rely on nose-high turns (high yo-yo's) in order to get the job done. This is a common error among new pilots. In one sequence you tried to hold a very sharp turn for several seconds, but it was apparent that you were never going to be able to get your guns on him. If I'm diving on a con and I see he's going to turn sharply away from me, I will pull up and roll until the top of my canopy (lift vector) is pointed in the con's general direction. I then watch him through the top view to see what he does next. If he continues the turn so I don't have a shot, I can level out to preserve my alt advantage. If I think I can get on his six, I'll pull through and loop back down on him. The key is that first move. A vertical component allows me to turn more sharply than a flat turn, especially if you have more speed than your con does. Instead of trying to pull a turn that you won't be able to sustain, you turn your speed into altitude, slow yourself down, and roll to keep an eye on your target.
3. On a related note, in situations where you're outnumbered, it's essential to hang on to your altitude if at all possible. Stay above the highest con and only commit to an attack if you can isolate a target from his fellows. The minute you commit to an attack, that con is going to scream for help, so you can't afford to get fixed on him or get locked into a tail chase for an extended period of time. If he avoids you, don't push the situation...get back on your perch (grab some altitude) and wait for another opportunity.
4. Energy is a combination of speed and altitude. Altitude is money in the bank. Speed is money in your pocket while on a shopping spree...lots of buying power but dwindling reserves. Maneuvering is like dropping cash on a bet....you're hoping it will pay off in the form of a position advantage, but you don't know for sure. A hard flat turn costs you speed and won't put money in the bank...it's one of the most expensive things you can do in the game. A nose high turn or a high yo-yo is much more economical because you are "banking" some of your speed in the form of altitude. The guy who wins is usually the one that spends his energy money wisely.
5. That being said, you will win more fights if you can get the other guy to blow off energy on bad investments...the more hard turns he makes, the slower he gets, and the more altitude he drops, the less he'll have to spend on maneuvers. You want to get him into what I call LOSS mode: LOw, Slow, and Stupid. To that end, you shouldn't always be thinking in terms of getting the shot on the first pass, especially if he's lower than you are. A lot of pilots will try to use your speed against you by getting you to commit to a dive then suckering you into a hard turn that you can't possibly sustain. Sometimes I will make a quick dive on a con just to get him to turn, or to test his skill, or to get him to bleed off energy. If he doesn't see me, fine...I'll take the shot...if he breaks hard...great, I got him to blow some e, so I'll pull up and get set for another pass. If he pulls up into me at the last second or does some other cool stuff, then I know he's a good stick and I need to be careful. Sometimes it's better to poke at him just to see what he'll do. To that end...
6. Patience. Take your time to observe the airspace and see what's going on. You don't need to dive into a hopeless situation or press an attack when it's obvious it won't succeed. Pull up, climb out...be satisfied that you got your enemy to blow energy and reset yourself. Sometimes I will fly around the edge of a fight and simply watch what allies and enemies are doing...this can be instructive as a learning tool because you can observe the mistakes others make. It also gets you practice in observing the big picture and spotting opportunities. There are times when it's fun to dive into a 3 or 4 v 1 just to test yourself, but sometimes you may want to pull back and wait for the odds to shift in your favor.
7. Lastly...just to reinforce the point....remember those high g blackout or red-out maneuvers are costing you money. Every time you try one, remember that you are blowing a ton of cash and ask yourself if you're getting a good return on your investment. Sure, it can be worth it if it will get you position, but every second you hold that turn, those energy dollars are flying out your cockpit window. Spend your E wisely!
Hope that helps. I of course defer to your trainer if any of my advice is inaccurate or conflicting with what he may have told you. Older and wiser heads, after all.
