formationfoto - I've no doubt that the really gucci latest digital cameras will indeed give the sort of results you're after.
I taught myself air-to-air photography by using a manual focus Canon (T70) with zone metering, speed priority set to 1/500 and a 35-200 f1:4-5.6 Tokina zoom with a Hoya UV filter. I always used Ektachrome 200 as it forced me to be selective and to get the exposure right as there's little latitude on slide film! It must have worked as I even sold a picture to the late Arthur Gibson, aviation photgrapher par excellence, at his insistence!
My little Olympus C-920 digital is fine for certain applications, but the T70's speed of manual zoom and focus for composition, half-pressure on the shutter release to trap the aperture followed by breathe in, freeze and squeeze usually got the results! Haven't had much time since Gulf War 1 to do much air-to-air stuff - but the editors used lots of my air-to-airs just after the war.
Including Airfix, who used my picture of Tornado GR1 'Armoured Charmer' on the box of their model kit without any permission!