Come to think of it the only time we are ever even really shown Anakin’s great piloting skills in a real dog fight on screen is in ANH as Vader in the suit during the Death Star battle… when he wasn’t even written into the part of being Luke’s father yet… How sad is that.
Winning the Podrace, destroying the Trade Federation Command Centre, Battle of Coruscant? Or are you just referring to the OT? Because in that case that line about his skills was referring to a then dead character to set-up Luke having inherited his skills, hence justifying Luke’s sudden piloting skills during the Death Star attack at the end of ANH.
Luke piloting skills aren’t sudden. He is established as being a good pilot in his own right. Ben refers to it, and Luke talks about his skill in shooting womp rats from his T-16 Skyhopper in the pre battle briefing with Wedge. Biggs vouches for him with Red Leader in the scene partially restored to the SE.
I realize that, that was actually kind of my point. However, as far as what we the audience see in the film he doesn’t actually pilot anything, except for the speeder, until the film’s climax. Having an actual scene with him in his Skyhopper would have ruined the films pace, so they threw in those lines to establish his skills in the dialogue so that it would make sense later when he saves the day as a pilot.
However, I’ll admit that I did phrase it in a somewhat weird way.
And if you missed that dialogue as a kid, which I did (as a Norwegian with poor English skills at the age of seven a lot of the ‘plot’ went over my head), then his skills will seem to kind of appear out of nowhere.