Back when I did some air-to-air photography, it was with a 35-200m manual focus lens and I always used Ektachrome 200, with spot metering and the shutter speed set to 1/500, which was as fast as my Canon T70 would allow.
That meant zoom, compose squeeze. None of this digital wizardry or clackety-clack of motordrives etc. You had to get it right first time!
I never tried to take photos whilst handling the controls; nor did I EVER ask targets to pose.
That was probably art. Talking of which, the famous aviation snapper Arthur Gibson once asked me why I hadn't entered a particular photo in the RAF photographic contest "Because I didn't know there was such a thing", I told him. "You should have done", he told me "I would have insisted that it won!". He then asked me for a copy and even paid for it - such a nice, genuine chap!
Whereas these days the very expensive digital devices used by many bang off dozens of shots, following which a huge amount of selection, enhancing, tweaking and editing is done. So some of the 'Mach Loop' and other photos leave me cold - they aren't genuine 'one shot only' images.
That spotter hanging on the fence with a desire for a particular shot is one of the RAF's shareholders and shouldn't be derided. Whereas "I've got more kit than you" snappers, who produce soulless 'Airfix box' images don't really deserve the plaudits they often receive....after hours of post-production editing.
Speaking of Airfix - you used my 'Armoured Charmer' GW1 shot without any credit! A few quid to a Service Charity would seem reasonable reparation!