[Bobbo]

the problem is not the plane performance but the AI...

as can be read from accounts, most Migs behaved unagressive or could be chased away by fiing in their general direction and if attacking had poor aim
only the ace rusian pilots stood out (that is what made them aces) . but the plane being historically correct in performance and the game AI being as kamikaze-aggressive as it is, this leads toa supremacy that was not there historically.
maybe the migs AI could be toned down specifically?
I don't know a thing about it so I don't know if possible...
but it helps the immersion to place some unarmed migs within a mission to compensate for the over aggressive leading migs.

Toning done the "victory or death" mentality of the AI would help in the rest of the game to.

What the AI really needs is personalities for each pilots; recklessly brave, coward, sprays and prays things like that.