Majority of time it's just time spent in the air that gets you used to it rather than anything taught.
Teaching the various bits is more for refinement, trying to see if there was something you overlooked, or if your keyed up already trying to get that knowledge grounded with new info.
It does take time. :silly:
When I first got access to PS2 beta I tried to hook up the xbox controller that I had used for flying in BF3 to find it was not supported yet. I then spent lot of time on the ground been taken out by pilots and thought bugger it I need to learn.
Spent the next few days just flying around getting used to various controls and sensitivity's before I even anywhere near combat.
When I unlocked rocket pods I didn't get chance to use them cause of a character wipe at the time and spent the next couple of weeks or so until full launch with a simple setup.
Yes, it was boring as well. Hours flying around with little combat, but it was also worth it.
Everyone has a different way of flying and everyone is different. Same is said as everyone is still learning.
As for these youtube videos you see of pilots taking out infantry all the time that to me is not the reason you should fly.
If I see a sunderer I don't focus on the infantry around it and then fly off as some pilots do, I'll nail the sunderer first and infantry only if I start getting a lot of attention and they need taking down.
Any idiot can rocket pod infantry and claim high scores and huge k/ds.... just don't expect me to respect them for it.
It's a support aircraft end of day and I hate players who farm with it.
if your practising various tricks and such when not part of an BRTD Op then by all means feel free to practise a circular hover manoeuvre on infantry as practise makes perfect. But if during an Op there is a greater threat then I expect all BRTD pilots to realise that threat first.
A standard SOP that I follow when in the air is based on threats. The time flying into a hotzone is also critical as this is when you will decide on what is worth your urgent attention. Some are higher up that threat list than others.
It's a little guide I follow but that's me end of day.
Threat List (Or order in which to kill annoying smurfs before they ruin the Op)
[ol]
[li]ESF's - Reavers / Scythes[/li]
[li]Liberators - highest threat is a 3/3 then a 2/3 and almost little point chasing a 1/3 most of time.[/li]
[li]Turrets - AA then AV[/li]
[li]Skyguards/Bursters - mobile AA - at present bursters are infantry rendered 300m = problematic[/li]
[li]MBT - Main battle tanks Vanguard / Fagrider[/li]
[li]Galaxy's - Number of occupants decides threat level. 1 is pointless, 12 is high pirority.[/li]
[li]Sunderers - mobile spawns[/li]
[li]Lightings -[/li]
[li]Infantry - Higher concentration in 1 area is worth a strafing run. Single targets I don't waste ammo usually.[/li]
[/ol]
The list will chop and change depending on what the Ops are assaulting. For example if it's a tower where the focus point is then I will focus primarily on AA/AV turrets before ESF's and Libs etc.
You can do more good by been in the air longer and making the right decisions on threats to focus on keeping yourself alive. Keep your aircraft alive and you can do more good to the ground units over time than simply smashing in and nuking 1 MBT before loosing the aircraft.
But end of day everyone is different. Though when I am airborne I'm there to support the Ops and if my efforts are better remembered for nuking down enemy aircraft and problematic threats than simply hitting infantry the Op will be more thankful.
I don't think anyone would be happy if a Mossie pilot focused on killing infantry around an Op rather than MBT's or sunderers tbfh.
