Just a guess, but it is possible that your uplink is not as good as your download speed - your position data has to be sent out and any loss of data might trigger the lost connection.
Just because you have full bars (very good) it is only an indication of signal strength and not throughput capability.
Good signal strength gives a good signal to noise ratio and helps keep a good connection working well. That said, it may be possible that in the motion of the device there is some variation of signal strength and maybe not as strong a connection, thereby affecting communication. I am guessing that DF uses a data transmission protocol that does not handle dropped packets of information at all - seen in the program as jumps in the positions of aircraft, lag in actions, etc.
I am astounded how well it works at all considering the global nature of the players, varying devices and different internet connections, and maybe server loading and response delay.
As to it happening with 'ranks higher than major general' I suspect that you tackle mostly the better fliers due to your competitive nature, and maybe swing the device a little more while doing so!
One last comment (sorry for long post) and that is I had a continuing lost connection at home that I only cured with a new wireless router. I could only stay on for a few minutes at most, and then got an 'LC' exit, had to terminate the game, and then reenter to play. (Android device)
As a side note, I appreciate your comments on both the planes and flying, and how to get better at it and your experiences. Thanks!