Only had two hops last night (busy) but...
La-5 both times, had a couple good fights. I didn't die, didn't get a kill, but managed to make a 51 run for his ack over and over.

I couldn't seem to hit him, though it was my unfamilarity with Shvak ballistics that caused the prob IMHO.
My main prob was I was in an unfamiliar plane in a multi-con environment. I stayed alive, chose my place to egress when it got too hot (Me co-alt with another La-5 and a 51, Spit slightly below, and a P-47 coming from 2K alt advantage- and on top of that, flying over their ack! Still don't know how I got away with that one...) and lived to tell the tale.