No, what I was getting at was in any fight between 2 planes, the end result is 60-70% plane and 30-40% pilot. Of course, a fight between just 2 planes is so rare that it hardly warrants mentioning anymore, which makes the inferior planes even more inferior.
I think it is obvious most people think it is mostly plane, or planes like the N1K and La7 wouldn't be 10% as popular as they are now. In fact, you can take it to an even more absurd level and say that in a fight between an M16 and a Flakpansie, the better 'driver' would win, right? Wrong. The Flakpansie holds every advantage over the M16, which is why it is used approximately 4 times more often. Actually, I think that might be a little low, to be honest. But you understand the point. The differences between the planes aren't as absurd as the differences between the GVs, but to say that some planes don't just utterly dominate other planes is not speaking truthfully.
I'll use Leviathn as an example, since he is a good pilot and a lot of people know who he is. Lev flies the Spit V. It is slow, it turns really well, accelerates well, and has 2 20mm cannon and 4 little machineguns. He does pretty well in the Spit V (as anyone who has flown against him will know). His record for this tour so far is 260 kills vs only 45 deaths. That is just about 6 to 1.
Now lets do a little hypothetical thinking and pick out a new plane for Leviathn. We'll see the 'type' of plane he likes to fly (good turner, for lack of a better word), and see if we can find a replacement plane for him. His Spit V is at the dealer, he broke it. For a 'loaner plane', they give him a 109e4. Well, it is a good turner anyway.
So, allowing for some time to become familiar with his new loaner plane, who thinks Leviathn will go 6 to 1 in the 109E4? Nothing, against him, because I know he is an excellent stick, but I don't. I think tops, he might go 3 to 1. Maybe.
Why? Because the 109e4 is so inferior to what he normally flies that even if he could hop right in and go, he wouldn't be able to achieve the same results. The 109E doesn't turn quite as well, it rolls about half as fast, it doesn't accelerate or climb as well, so he won't be able to manuever it like he can a Spit V. The MG/FF are nowhere near as effective as Hizookas are, so once he gets his opponent to make a mistake, he likely won't be able to kill him with a snapshot, like he can with twin Hizookas.
Now it gets even worse in the Main Arena. Unless you can kill other planes quickly, you will be faced with multiple enemies. So we'll throw poor Leviathn in two hypothetical combats and see how he fares.
In his first combat, he is flying his trusty Spit V. He gets seperated from the other friendlies in the area, and a high Spit 9 bounces him. No problem, he says. Quick pull towards the bandit, who goes for a shot and misses. Quick reversal, snapshot, 3-4 rounds land and the Spit flutters to the earth without a tail. Next, a co-alt La-7 sees two dots and decides to 'investigate'. He sees a friendly spit fluttering to the earth, and an enemy Spit. Why, he'll just blaze in there and kill that enemy Spit! He tries for a Head-On pass, but the enemy Spit ducks him. He then Zoooooooooooooooooooooooommms, and ends up 12k above the enemy Spit, where he can wait for more friendlies to arrive. So, at this point Lev is fine. One down, and one chickenshit in orbit. The La-7 calls his buddy, and says "Hey d00d. I gotz a toejamfire down below me! I can't kill him by myself. Come help me". Ok, in warps another La-7, co-alt with Lev but cruising at 570 mph. So, they take turns running Bore n Zoom passes on him, until they screw up and one guy catchs some Hizooka in the tailfeathers. The other La-7, staying true to form, runs home and lands.
Now, we'll put Lev in his loaner 109, and see how he does. Yet again, a higher Spit bounces him after he gets seperated from some friendlies. Yet again, he makes the Spit overshoot. This time though, he can't quite get his nose pointed around at the offending Spit. The Spit goes back up, then comes around for another pass. Lev manages to make the Spit miss, gets his nose pointed in the right direction, fires.... and completely misses. He forgot the effective range on the MG/FF is about 150 yards. All is not yet lost though! The Spitfire pilot decides to come back down a little early, and Leviathn decides to scissor with it. Around and around they go in a rolling scissors. Now, the Spitfire will eat a 109E up in a rolling scissors, because it turns better, rolls better, and climbs better- but we'll say that since this Spitfire pilot isnt very good Lev manages to hold his own. They are REALLY going around, Leviathn is yanking that ol loaner Emil around like a pro, scissoring up and down at 120-130 mph, sweating bullets because he knows what'll happen if that Spitfire gets a snapshot.
Then suddenly, at the top of the next loop, Leviathn sees an opening! The Spit pilot didn't throttle back, and he squirts out in front! Leviathn yanks the stick over and gets ready to fire! Then, as the Spit is about a second from passing through the gunsight, Leviathn hears "Bang, crunch, crunch, bang, bang", and is spinning out of control.
The enemy La7 pilot tells his friend "Yea d00d! I R0x0r! I just killed another 109!"
"Oh d00d! Way to diddlyin GO man!"
The End.
