>>Many of these situations, you can still fly depending on how well you trim the plane. I think it would have to be something that could be easily determined.<<
...And yet it is not, and many times seems arbitrary.
Kill stealing aside, it isn't always the one who gets there first, or who gets there last that get the kill credit; what it is is still a mystery to me. Three days ago I shot up a spit to clear a countryman's tail, I sawed the spit's wing off and flamed his engine, he kept flying with one wing! I finally got the kill m,essage but, the guy managed to ditch his plane, and was just sitting in the water. As I flew past him, he pinged my a/c. There is something not quite right.