I realise this is a very old thread, but I was googling my father (as a bored man does sometimes) and came across this thread....my father being John Greenwood whose comments are quoted at the beginning of this thread.
I, in fact, remember getting a Battle of Britain PC game many years ago together with a joystick attachment and getting him to have a go at it. After showing him the controls and putting into a squadron of Heinkel he immediately showed the skills that kept him alive at that time had not disappeared. The way he locked on and then used his controls to "slide"with his prey was quite amazing.
Anyway, I will likely show him this thread and he will get a good laugh out of it no doubt.
He is now 91 and soon all of his kind will be "unavailable". I suggest if programmers or testers want information they should just ask.....he remembers his version of those days of lost youth very well (although he never remembers any of the bets he has lost to me
When I show this thread to him I will ask him to explain why he believed you would be dead flying straight and level for a period coming up the rear of the enemy.