Personally, if a tank is pushing towards one of my bases, yup he's fair game, if hes defending a baes we are trying to take, again yup fair game. On the other hand if they are in a tank town type setup beating on each other Im not going to bother going out of my way to hunt GVs. I prefer hunting planes.
In your tail of following a buff home only to shoot him down in sight of his base, ya totally classless move. If you wanted to shoot him down do so when you come across him. Whats to point of following him all the way back to his base to kill him then, other than being a dick. If you show a little class and did let the buff limp home, maybe he'd be back in another set to try his luck one more time. Instead, you pissed him off and maybe he never comes back. Congrats, you chased away another player. Good for you, you got your jollies and the rest of us are one player closer to seeing the door close.
I think THAT is the point of the thread.
First of all this was back when you had 400 players a night, so sure, I'm responsible for AH's precipitous decline because I shot down a bomber.

Is there a set time in which I'm allowed to shoot?
Am I not letting him get closer to base and reinforcements? Is it my fault his team hung him out to dry?
Could he have not just shot me down as I made my pass? I generally get killed by bombers more than I kill.
Who gets to make these rules to decide when and when I can't shoot?
He could have bailed or nose argued into the ground. he knew I as there and kept flying. That was his choice.
And what harm did I do him by blowing up his little cartoon plane? After he bombed our strat and shot down teammates? Did he die in real life when I did that?
Because he didn't get to land his points? So he's a score wh*re? I have sympathy why?
You people live in an echo chamber.