This is why it's actually illegal to shoot at pilots who've bailed out

Okay, you're relieving some stress by playing some video games and you just downed an enemy plane.

The pilot bails out.

You've got him in your sights — one less bad guy to deal with later, right?

Wrong.

According to the law of war, it is a crime to gun down a pilot who's bailed out of his plane. While the video game world might give some allowances on this, in the real world it's a major no-no.

Field Manual 27-10, "The Law Of Land Warfare," says that a pilot who has bailed out of his plane is a non-combatant. That's different from a paratrooper who's notionally armed on his way down and is technically engaged in combat while under canopy.

Here is the exact quote: "The law of war does not prohibit firing upon paratroops or other persons who are or appear to be bound upon hostile missions while such persons are descending by parachute. Persons other than those mentioned in the preceding sentence who are descending by parachute from disabled aircraft may not be fired upon."