The aircraft that flew at this time were hardly airworthy. more aircraft on both sides were lost in landing and take off accidents than were lost in air combat .
The other myth was that it was the norm that some form of aerial chivalry was the unwritten code of practice. by 1918, that was a rare event. The tactics for both sides orbited around getting the drop on your opponent and basically shooting him in the back without him even knowing you were there. Dogfighting was something you avoided, even back then.