I agree that the La-7 is not one of the easiest aircraft to fly. The muzzle velocity of the cannon is about 100m/s less than the Hispano; the slats cause some issues; you have to manage your throttle and rpm's to do more than buzz around your own airfield. Of course, it's a performance monster, but not one a mediocre pilot can be effective in (Zazen's sense of the word).
WFT Anax?
Now if you are trying to use it for close maneuvering fights with Spits or Corsairs*, that might be kind of hard, although not the challenge that trying to out-turn them in practically any other LW plane is.
But why would you when you can simply use it against all the planes it out-runs, out-climbs, out-accelerates and grossly-out-turns without difficulty? Pull in behind, pull back a little throttle to stay in the turn, get decently close and punt away with what IS lethal, nose-mounted firepower. Anything more maneuverable can be engaged with more conservative tactics or avoided with reasonable ease.
And fuel management? Easy as pie. Pull the RPMs down to about 2200, you'll have ~25 minutes of fuel and performance basically like a P-47D going balls to the wall, and have access to full power at the touch of a WEP button.
*Oh, btw, the La7 sustains a higher rate of turn than the unperked Corsairs. So a sustained nose-to-tail turning fight is in fact VERY winnable for the Lakovichin if it has the time engage the Corsair uninterrupted.
