Your statement "My belief is the veterans are all looking for easy targets and getting out of dodge when things get too risky."
Isn't that what being a veteran is all about? I mean to fly smart, take the path where your least likely to get shot down?? (easy target, you have the alt, enemy does not, as in Rudes case of rovering P51's)
Think about what makes them survive, and why you don't survive, most of the Aces I've met fly smart and live because they tend to stay away from high risk areas or enter high risk areas with plenty of wingmen to cover one another.
Incidently, when I look at an Ace, I never consider the score that HTC keeps, its slanted towards gunnery and time online, therefore not a good measure of ones skill at all IMO.
[ 12-11-2001: Message edited by: Ripsnort ]