GraysGhost wrote:
dcr66 wrote:
Those who fights and run away lives to fight another day. 
Those who run away deserve to be shot for cowardice - those who escape with no fuel or a damaged engine deserve to fight another day, with a gong on their chest.
Somehow this doesn't rhyme as well.

Chivalry was not uniformly practiced, nor respected, during WW I, Hollywood depictions not withstanding. Some of the aces were rather notorious, in fact, for strafing downed pilots, and chasing crippled planes was also quite common.
Living to fight another day, is a key concept in all forms of warfare. Expecting a player to stick around when practically dead and/or outnumbered, but not yet being low enough on fuel to escape with honor, is strategically unsound.
Those who feel strongly about the issue, could always opt to form squadrons with those who feel the same to limit the odds of this happening.
Your mileage may vary,
markrendl
I agree whole-heartedly with Mark's well informed tactical & historical observations.
However in regards to the brewing debate further down the thread; Is it not true that upon exiting the map w/o "honor" the damage sheet of the plane/pilot in question will specify any "unusual" circumstances (pilot grazed, rudder jam, etc.) thereby nullifying any question of "cowardice" or lack thereof?