I love it when I can nail that con out a range with my main gun. Quite satisfying, specially when it's the lead bomber in a set about to drop. I've also been nipped by the main gun. Sometimes, I just sit there going, "WTF? That was one HELL of a shot! Woo!". Most times it's, "Damn it! Stay away from the pointy end of a turret...spits death at you. ".
Learn to attack tanks properly, and you won't have the issue as much. Now if you are like me, and know how to do it, but still go about it half-arsed, well enjoy the hilarity. Because I do.
Well, this is the thing, right? IRL, as Ack pointed out, the pilots had a healthy respect for the 50 cal and were out of the traverse range of motion of the main gun. One of the big differences b/w real life and the game is that the consequences of doing something stupid are much less severe... and so, you hav epeople flying airplanes within the range and elevation of the tank's main guns - some of which are little different from free-standing AA counterparts in all but mounting detail.
This reminds me, i meant to ask about fusing. I thought that a lot of AAA shells have an airburst capability. I presume, but don't know, that this is probably based on some pressure sensor triggerinng. Conceivably, at sufficient altitude, the pressure drop could trigger the explosive. I kind of assume we'd have conventional HE shells on a tank with some kind of impact detonator. I wouldn't, however, expect a tank to be carrying air-burst capable shells. Does anyone know anything about this?