I guess Rebel the point I was trying to make in my stats post is this. How does the plane compare in the ‘Real” Main Arena. There is a wide margin of pilot quality in the MA
That was my point too

The only thing is, I'm focusing one the simple majority.
I have about a 1:1 K/D in the MA. Not very impressive.
Bullpucky! Achieving a 1:1 K/D ratio in a main arena, ESPECIALLY one with so much emphasis on furballing is a major, major milestone. Congratulations, bro!
For a furballer to pick up a 1:1 takes a lot of work, not to mention talent. If ya wanna head over and learn the ways of the force, lemme know- I'll teach ya how to e-fight and make ya an absolute killer

Yet I am ranked about 800/2800 (?) as a fighter pilot
Yup- this is what I was gettin' at. Most pilots don't achieve a 1:1- hell I bet the average for the arena is probably .3 - .5 : 1

This is fairly realistic, as in real combat there are essentially two classes of pilots: Aces and Targets
True, to an extent. No pilot ever had 7 years of steady war, either. And, believe it or not, most pilots preferred their tulips attatched, rather then being strewn about the ETO

As we look at the numbers of planes flown, and the K/Ds in the MA, I think we could interpolate from these, that most planes are being flown way below their potential
Amen! I saw a P51 last night dive in from 15K, and start TURNING in the middle of a furball. Took him all of about 30 seconds to die (long enough for the closest Spit to see him, bring his cannons to bear, and let off a shot, hehehe)
This is just one of hundereds of examples I've seen in the Main. I guess people don't view this sim as a sim- it's just a way to relieve stress to a lot of folks. As for me, I strive to do my best, and fly like I would in RL (sans giant furball flights o' fancy- those are just pure adrenaline rushes

)
I doubt if the F4U-4 were unperked that it would be the ride of choice for the masses. Too easy to bleed off your E, and get caught low and slow. Yaks, LA7s, and Ponys would run you down quickly if they have alt, and Spits and NIKS would be in a feeding frenzy. I truly doubt if would be any more popular than the Dora, except that it would probably be the fighter of choice for carrier assaults.
You're probably right. For a while, there might be a rush, but a hawg is a hawg, and people would just stick to Jabo- and even then they might take the 1C instead.
I think the Pony, flown well, is the terror of the arena. Although you screw up and YAKs will eat you for lunch. Yet the Pony is not the most popular plane and has a 1:1 K/D. You fly that puppy well and with patience, and it will bring you many scalps.
As it damn well should be
I bet that for every 100 P51's in the arena, 10-20 are being flown by guys who actually know how- it is in these hands that the P51 is able to keep her 1:1
I think that the F4U-4, while a monster in the hands of a great stick, would be a seal pup on the ice in the hands of the average MA pilot
Here's where it gets tricky. The question of "Is this machine's performance enough to compensate for the lack of training of it's pilot?"
In the case of the LA7, you could easily say a resounding "Yes!" to that question. Her sheer power is enough to make her a menace even in the hands of the most green jocks.
In the case of the P51, you could easily say "No" to the same question. Flown incorrectly, she will kill ya guick- much the same as a Hawg.
But, in the case of an F4u-4, I can't really comment. Her engine upgrade might be *just* enough to let a greenhorn slip by unscathed- however this may just as well not be the case- I can't comment. I'm taking a -4 Hawg up tonight for a spin, I think.
And I will be flying smart with her

-----------------------------------------------------
Heya RedTail!
Hogs really get a bad rap, they are great planes, I love em, but I wish I could fly them better. I would love a hand, as I 've been driving them for years, and I still know there are secrets yet undiscovred by me.
I'll be glad to show ya a few tricks

My K/D ratio in the Hawg stands at a solid 1:1, but that's only because my buddy Saw talks me into Jabo work where I always get killed, hehehe

Look for me in the Arena- I fly for Knights, my handle is Rebel352.
My first squad in WB's was the VMF-214- learned a LOT of good stuff there.
I take the Hog -C up routinely, and it's a magnet for planes which seem to come out of nowhere!
I've taken her up just a few times, and I like it a lot. We can start out on this one if ya like

BTW, I noted your convergence question- I'll look for ya tonight- I might be able to help there too.