I'd have to disagree with some of this. How can one possibly apply ACM effectively without possessing SA, especially given the importance of timing?
I should have said this...ACM is more important to make a player go from good to great.
A player with average to below average SA but is above average or better in his ACM knowledge isn't going to be all that successful and will have a tougher time going from good to great without the SA to back it up. A person with average SA and ACM skills will have the advantage because he would be able to process the information and act on it quicker then the guy with good ACM but lousy SA and will be the one eventually that goes from average to good to eventually great.
There is more to situational awareness than just knowing what enemy planes are around you.
I think Latrobe nailed it pretty much on the head but I wouldn't characterize it as what makes a player great, but rather what makes a player successful. I'd change "over all fighting skills" to "tactics" but Latrobe could have meant the same thing.
1. Knowledge of ACM and overall fighting skills; fighting the angles and E. Doesn't matter if you're a crack shot if you can't maneuver for a shot.
1. Gunnery. You can out fly your opponent all day long but if you can't shoot him then you can't kill him.
1. SA. Even if you're a crack shot and have hotshot ace piloting skills you can still be killed if you aren't aware of your surroundings.
There is no order of importance, they are all equally important.
Personally, I think a lot of players place a ranking of importance to ACM, SA and gunnery with ACM usually being what is ranked #1 when again, Latrobe is correct is that there is no order of importance, they are all equally important. A player has to work just has hard on their gunnery and SA skills as they do with their ACM and become equally proficient in all three.
ack-ack
