[SkyMaster]

Wow, where do I start.

I wouldn't judge your skills in IL2 until you've owned and flown the sim for about a month, or have about 200hrs fighting/flying in campaigns or online.

Even if you don't change the settings on your stick, you'll soon develop the touch that you need to be successfull. I don't change my stick settings so that every plane feels and flies different, and I can learn and understand the differences between them.

Also, it looks from your current choice of favorite aircraft, that you have decided to begin flying with a few of the most difficult planes in the sim to master. the MiG-3 and P-51 in particular. Also, as far as the armament in the game is modeled, you will get virtually 0 feedback at all as to how well you are shooting with any aircraft armed with just .50 calliber guns or 12.7UBS only as some MiG's are. You can, even with good shooting, possibly pump your entire ammunition load into an opposing fighter only to watch it fly away leaking or smoking slightly.

The Spitfires or Zeroes are good planes to learn on. Also, being armed with cannon, you'll learn fire discipline, and get the proper feedback in terms of damage that you may cause to an opposing aircraft. The Bf109, LaGG3, Yak, P-39 and P-40 are medium difficulty aircraft. The P-51, Fw-190 and any jets are HIGH level of difficulty aircraft that have great performance, but that require extensive type knowledge and filght time to be able to use effectively.

Once you have learned how to fly, manuever and shoot with some of the easier planes to learn on, after you have about 2 or 3 hundred hours or so, go back to the Mustang and the MiG and you will absolutely slay.

The other thing that you must do if you want to really learn how to fight the plane, is to go online to a "full switch" server. "Spits vs 109's" or "Zekes vs Wildcats" I highly recommend. If you can maintain your desire to continue flying the sim while ruthlessly getting your clock cleaned for a few weeks, then you will really understand how to kill effectively, and make the proper tactical decisions that will drastically improve your ability to survive.

One last thing that help me in learning, was to make tracks and "break down game film". Do pairs fights in the quick mission builder with aircraft that commonly opposed each other. After you save the track, follow the fight from the opposing leader's aircraft, and see how the maneuvers that you made look to opposing pilots, and also, how good your shooting was. It may have looked fine from your gunsight, but when you look on the track, you may see that you may have needed to add more or less lead in a given burst. That way, you will build in your mind a set of "sight pictures" that will result in a higher percentage of hits. This occurs as hand/eye/muscle memory will, in the future, know what picture in the gunsight will produce hits even before you fire.

These are things many of which I had to learn the hard way. I hope these points speed your progress.

B50

all very good info