Been online for what is it? 5 months or so. Tried nearly everything you can do in AH but I fly fighters mostly.
Last tour was the first when my K/D fell below that of the last tour. didn't really do anything different than before. I've reached some sort of plateau of (in)competence, the learning curve (although still present) is levelling off.
Been flying good planes with low eny values (La-5, P-51B, FM2 mostly). Not on-line for really long periods of time so very few missions and not much interest in the strategic element of the game. Basically it is mostly fighter defense and furballing because this is the most fun. Always alone, no squad. Not a problem when you outnumber the enemy (especially in an FM2 as they are usually ignored in that situation), but not when I am on the side which is outnumbered.
I think the basic skills are all there but I'm wondering what sort of dedication you need to keep improving... I cannot and do not want to play 200 hours a month. Some guys in this forum have years and years of experience and moan when they're shot down once in three days while I'm lucky when I get shot down three times in one day. Of course my playing style is ill-suited for survival (I want to have fun after all), but even when I use the brain a bit more it is still hard.
Example:
I started flying Corsairs because they are so demanding and I didn't like them when I started the game. It also forces me to use slashing or B&Z tactics and to carefully manage my E. I sure get kills if I position myself well but I found it very hard to avoid being bounced myself. The F4U1-D dives and maneuvers very well at speed but if I work hard for a firing solution to catch let's say a La-7, some bastard always gets on my tail, even if I keep the speed up. Only going up high and come in at insane speeds solves this, but most people with a bit of SA will be able to avoid you which makes this tactic extremely boring. I also have the problem that my SA is good when cruising along and when picking a fight, but once committed to an intended victim I usually lose track of everything else. Especially in the Corsair, after a satisfying kill, one second of joy and then my wing breaks off because I didn't notice that Niki in time, and even if I had, I wouldn't be able to shake him off.
As usual a long rant, but hey, I'm only at work

Would like to hear advice.