[caldrail]

I dont understand how they're so good at it! It frustrates me.

Thanks

Think yourself lucky. It frightened people in real life somewhat! Imagine the virtual war you're flying is real for a moment. That lack of instinctive insight isn't unusual in warfare, and the reason why pilots were more likely to be shot down or killed in their first two weeks than at any other time in their service. You'll read a lot about tactics, about turning, burning, zooming, booming, scissors and so on, but I can imagine at this point it's all gobbledegook.

The reality about air combat is that you need to become aware of what's going on around you. Situational awareness is vital for you're survival. An F16 veteran once said in a lecture about air combat that "There is no fixed solution to any given situation in air combat". In other words, once you know what is going on, do something. Whether your decision is a good one is down to experience.

Computers don't help an awful lot because all our perception is limited to what's displayed on the monitor without any peripheral sight at all. You might argue that it's impossible to 'sense' that guy on your tail. That's all true, but you can learn to compensate (a bit like a blind man learning to 'hear' and 'feel' his way around) and as the answer above suggests, you need to practise. Learn to anticipate. Learn to use height and speed. Learn above all else that the rear of a fighter is the most vulnerable place.

If it helps, I was sat in the back of a Chipmunk trainer in my youth when the pilot heard a radio call of another in the area, and the two decided to have a bogus dogfight near the River Severn. Trust me, as a neophyte flyer, the reality of trying to follow where the other guy was (and that was as a passenger) was a very illuminating experiene.