My feeling, having flown air combats in SIAI-Marchetti SF.260's at Air Combat USA, is that it was highly similar to dogfights in AH.
When I flew my combats there, I did the full range of things we do in Aces High: loops, split s'es, Immelmanns, vertical persuits, high and low yo yo's, scissors, rolling scissors, lag persuit, lead moves, energy moves, angles moves, with up to 6 g's. There were some fights that ended just like in AH, where we fought to a stalemate-ish stallfight, chugging around on the hard deck with flaps out, seeing who could squeeze the last drop of turn performance out.
In terms of feel, it felt very much like P-51's in the dueling arena. Similar handling feel (in terms of roll response, pitch response, etc.). Similar way the fights went.
I didn't have to put much attention on engine control (other than pulling back some on throttle in prolonged vertical dives). Wake turbulence was not a meaningful factor in any fights.
There was one aspect of aerodynamics that did matter in these Air Combat fights that might not in AH: flow separation as you approach stall. In real life, as you pull enough g's to get near stall, you start to get flow separation off the tops of the wings. In AH, you do see this from the screen shake and buffeting noise. In the Marchettis, you got that buffeting. But in real life, drag goes up more during buffet than outside of buffet. So in the fights, it was important to pull g's only up to but not into buffet (unless you want big drag, for causing an overshoot, or something like that). In AH, we often pull right into that buffet closer to the edge of the stall. I haven't noticed higher drag in buffet than out of buffet. That doesn't mean it isn't in AH -- it would not be hugely noticeable. But if there was a difference between Air Combat and AH, I would say it is where you choose to ride the edge of g's: at edge of buffet or at edge of stall. It wouldn't change the characteristics of the fight either way. Riding the edge of buffeting is exactly the same as riding the edge of stall -- you are just picking one or the other to ride the edge of. So this one is just a very fine, picky detail.
I've read a huge number of first-person accounts of WWII air combat. Sometimes, a pilot does tell you that things done with prop pitch, mixture, throttle setting, etc. But often, those were things that a pilot did when first entering combat from a cruising configuration. Then, once in fighting configuration, they aren't doing much other than manipulating throttle as desired for combat, usually keeping it on full, less commonly chopping it to slow down. Cowl flaps were usually staying closed. Oil-cooler flaps are usually on auto or in some state that don't require manipulation during a fight. Mixture in auto rich. Prop in max rpm. Mixture and prop are fiddled with in cruise. The other various flaps are usually fiddled with in landing and takeoff.
As a result, I'm suspecting that fiddling with engine knobs isn't adding accuracy of the air-combat portion of flight.
These guys are impressed with bells and whistles and sitting on a tarmac,... waiting, and waiting,..... to not find a fight.
Reminds me of glass globes filled with water and cute colored metal flakes. YA turn it upside down and watch the pretty colors slowly drift to the bottom.... at first it's cute,... then you do it again,.. not so much,.. then again and it strikes you,.. there's simply nothing else I can do with it. Ya set it down, walk away,.. it gathers dust and you remember it,.. turn it up side down again,... and set it down and walk away, usually to never be touched again, except dusting.
They WAY over sell this game,.. and the people expecting to find beautiful fights there, and are going be twice as upset after investment. They actually do more harm to the game, because it forces us to put it's faults on full display. But, stupid people do stupid things,.... it makes them feel intelligent.
It's eye candy,.. nothing more, nothing less. Same as Penthouse, stunning things you'll never touch.
