I didn't think that the Flying Tigers started combat ops until late Dec 1941?The Buffalo's the RAF had from what I remember had literally second hand engines and instead of 1200hp they had like 1,000hp. In hot and humid conditions this is a massive decrease in performance. Even with the loss of power issue the tactics used left the RAF in considerable danger due to it's own stupidity.
Up to date intelligence of the like aircraft to be seen had been gained by the Fying Tigers and both the RAF and USAAF got the information and ignored it. The Flying tigers said "DO NOT DOGFIGHT" and got ignored.
Racisim exists and is not based on any realistic metric of assesing people's ability to function. The Trope that the Japanese pilots flew monkey copied old aircraft and the pilots needed glasses to see. This was both ignorant in the extreme but colored the full conduct of numerous soldiers, sailors and airmen of just about every rank. The stupidity cost lives and made the Japanese invasion's much easier. NEVER underestimate an opponent.
Back in the early years of Japan's industrial revolution or Meiji restoration the facts supported copying of foriegn materials. The factories got copied and the products copied and this occurred until they caught up with the foriegn powers regarding technology. The Kongo class is a perfect example. Followingthe Kongo class the Japanese proceeded to build world class and world leading Battleships. THey learnt then invented. They did this with everything imaginable, And it is the smart way to do it.
Even through the 1930's aircraft designers got paid to work in Japan and that lead to some interesting snippets like the person who assisted the Zero project was formerly a Heinkel employee and ended up working at CAC during ww2. The Boomerang got his input as we;. The gentleman in question being Fred David an Austrian Jew.
So not sure they were in a position to tell anything to anyone
Also while there was a number of KI43 Oscars the majority of the fighters in the IJA 'fighter estate' was the KI27 Nate fighters during the period of the Malaya and Burma campaigns
Even the porcine F2F was a match for the Nate but the problem was not much getting shot down by very manoeuvrable fighters but suffering heavy and early losses on the ground.
The AVG into 1942 did in the 5 odd months it was fighting in Burma and China amass a positive kill ratio but it did enjoy a force of 100 experienced (as in flying hours) and trained pilots
If those losses on the ground can be reduced or mitigated then the Japanese are in trouble because even with the advantages they enjoyed the Japanese forces fighting in Malaya could not replace their aircraft losses (to all causes) during the campaign and with a greater number of RA*F fighter units in country and an experienced commander ITTL they are going to suffer worse losses.
But I agree certainly the racism played a part across the spectrum and took arguably into 1943 in some cases to have it beaten out of them
But it did work both ways - the Japanese commanders in several theatres in late 42 and into 1943 namely Guadalcanal and PNG seriously underestimated the better USMC and Aussie soldiers and continued to conduct shoestring operations against known superior forces (and even then often underestimating the size of the allied forces) relying on the perceived greater endurance of the Japanese soldier to carry the day.