From all my readings around the interwebs, it strikes me that the FE2/FFE newtonian physics gang and the "played original Elite mainly" gang are at loggerheads when it comes to physics.
To say "want newtonian physics but with proper dogfighting" is oxymoronic, realistic flight physics in space are not condusive to re-enacting "Spitfire Vs ME109" business. Spitfires fly in air, and their flight dynamics are governed by aerodynamics (and you can get this nicely in Cliffs of Dover).
It all depends on the "simulation" aspect, and I think FE2 and FFE did a good job of being "space sims", the further you drop away from that then the game ceases to be a realistic simulation of a vehicle in the simulated environment. Just as docking and landing should be challenges, the challenge of fighting another ship in space is not easy, and maybe not even fun. One would imagine that in some techno-future it would be managed by auto-targetting and even less fun than it was in FFE.
But it depends really on what you want. I come from a simulation background, I enjoy vehicle simulations and enjoy a focus on realism. Combat, for me, in Elite is not why I play the game. For many, it will be, so for FD they have a BIG challenge in trying to please simmers, and also the "action" players that want fun and involving combat.
The only way to make combat work like aircraft operating within an atmosphere, and still realistically claim accurate space flight physics, I think, would have to involve some sort of odd witch space concept or something. I'm not keen on the idea, but it doesn't matter much what I think.