The Yak U advantage is that it has atleast one form of fighting vs almost any other fighter that it can take advantage off
Gixer, could you explain this further.
This avenue of thinking shouldn't be restricted to just the Yaks. In any plane v plane matchup, there is a good chance that your plane can do something better than the opponent's plane. There are, of course, exceptions, and a prudent way to fly is to limit the number of 1v1 engagements you have in which you are disadvantaged in such an "exception". SA comes into play here in the main arenas, picking the fighting style advantageous to not only your current situation, but the situation that will develop in the immediate future.
Having an advantage in one flight aspect doesn't necessarily guarentee victory, nor does having a disadvantage guarentee defeat. Having disadvantages in ALL aspects does not guarentee defeat, as pilot skill is the trump card. Given equal pilot skill, and fighting from a situation in which your plane is outclassed in every aspect, it is best to choose the route of best comparative advantage. Think back to basic economics.
For example, in our 109F vs. Yak-9U scenario, the 109F has an advantage in both sustained flat turn and climb rate. Let's say, as the Yak pilot, you had no choice but to fight either a low speed horizontal fight, or a more vertical fight, hoping to establish and stick to a "perch". Which would you choose? The 109 betters your plane in both turn and climb rate.
The logical answer is to choose the fight where there is the
smallest possible discrepancy in flight performance . IE, you're going to fight a fight where the 109 has an advantage either way, fight the fight where the 109 has the smallest advantage. In choosing either flat sustained turn or vertical, the 109 blows the Yak out of the water in flat sustained turn, but climb rates are more closely matched. Choose the vertical fight.
Of course this is all made irrelevant in the 109 vs Yak equation, because the truly logical choice for the Yak would be to get the fight to higher speeds where the 109 starts having elevator unresponsiveness. But you get the point...what I'm getting at is
1- Look for your plane's advantage in every engagement, and seek to utilize it
offensively (important)
2- If no advantage (rare but possible), choose the fight where the opponent has the least advantage.