OK, this goes out to all the new folks flying the spit/n1k.  I constantly see them make mistakes that get them killed, so I will try to post some easy stuff that will help.  
First off- if you bounce another plane, be aware of his speed.  If he is going a lot slower than you, he will probably try to sucker you into flying in front of his guns.  I'll put in a poorly drawn diagram here.
Whoops, I messed up my diagram.  Read 'attack' instead of 'turn' for time 2