I dont see that either. then again, I too hard for some people to look for a red darbar.
I think each person's experience is different depending on the part of the day they play. US prime time has a very different dynamic than other hours. I am an east coast guy, and normally have no issue with finding a fight. I usually have no issue when I see a high Pee-51 because I know he won't come down to fight. He may take a swipe at me, then extend a sector to get his alt back, but for the most part they are a mere annoyance.
My personal favorite tactic is to up a fast bird, 47-M, then climb to 18-20K. When I arrive at a base, all the Pee-51's and Run-90's take one look at my co-alt bird and dive to the deck. Since I know it will be 15 minutes before they return, I am then free to drop alt and see what needs kill'n. Sure, 10% of the time, they will actually try to fight, 5% of that time, it's actually a decent one, but almost always they turn tail and dive out 1v1 once they have lost their advantage.
While I am not saying they should play "my way", it is after all a combat game, and learning only offensive strategies, ignoring effective defensive strategies leaves half the game on the table. I am actually shocked at how many high K/D players are an easy kill once you get on their 6. The only reason their K/D is high is they have learned to run when they see an icon appear at 6K.
It's their $15, but when everyone in the arena is avoiding contact, then it's no longer a combat game and people quit to play another game that's a little more exciting. There aren't as many players today, I feel, because when numbers are low, and no one wants to fight, they pull the rip cord.
I tried iRacing once, and left after the trial period because the way it's set up, it's hard to find someone to race.