Thoughts ?

[Outlaw]

No aircraft ever produced has ever out turned any other aircraft ever produced.

Many PILOTS, however, have out turned many other PILOTS.

For example...

When the first MiG-15 was received from a defecting Korean pilot, two test pilots put it to the test against an F-86. They each took a turn flying each aircraft and performed the same scenarios each time. Test pilot A (Chuck Yeager) was all over test pilot B (Some Other Hot %h1I Test Pilot whose name is lost in history because he didn't get his P-51 shot out from under him and, by luck, later get chosen to fly the X-1) regardless of whether he was flying the F-86 or the Mig-15.

In a real combat situation using pilot reports, it's impossible to say that one aircraft's advantage in some measure of performance over another aircraft resulted in victory. There are just too many variables. A tired pilot can't turn as hard as a fresh pilot, especially in a 109 due to the cramped cockpit. Most pilots back then would include the initial roll into the turn as part of the "turn" and due to the aforementioned cramped cockpit 109s at speed had poor roll performance. A glance over the shoulder to check for bandits might delay an attacker's entry into a turn leading the defender to state that he easily out turned the attacker. What he would not realize is that the attacker did not even start to follow for some amount of time. And that's just one of a gazillion reasons an attacker might delay following a defender into a turn (or any other maneuver for that matter).

I could go on and on but the bottom line is that pilot reports from actual combat are useless when it comes to making specific judgements of the opposing aircraft.

In the future, it will be SOFTWARE out turning other pieces of SOFTWARE.

--Outlaw.

PS
I'm just picking on Chuck, he's one of my heroes.