From the archives:
So why were pilots able to go through the OODA loop faster in an F-86 than a MiG-15? Boyd realized the key advantage of the F-86 was that it’s flight controls were mechanically assisted. F-86 pilots could make more maneuvers (more trips through the loop) not because their plane was faster but because their arms didn’t tire as quickly from operating the flight controls. The MiG pilots had to use more force to turn the plane and during the course of a short dogfight their iteration speed slowed down enough to allow the F-86 pilots to get “inside” their loops and win more fights.