Flight School

While playing co-op with AirCav today I had an epiphany. There is a starter level mission in co-op where you are immediately put into a helicopter with your partner, either as pilot or gunner - it switches after failures, and seems to do so based on pilot error maybe, or maybe it is just random. So really this is a great way to practice learning how to fly the helicopters in BF3, and lets face it, it aint that easy unless you've had a lot of experience with flight sims. I just thought I would point it out as I know a lot of folks havent got around to checking out the co-op. Instead of crashing yourself and passengers into the ground over and over in multiplayer, consider crashing yourself and your partner into the ground over and over while you learn how to control a whirly-bird in co-op instead.

A few tips for helicopters and jets:
1 I invert my vertical flight because I like to be able to aim like FPS where my nose is supposed to go. Default is actually inverted, so I am uninverting it. You might give that a shot. I know it isn't as realistic that way; if I had a flight stick I probably wouldn't, but these are just thumb sticks. Go to your options and check out the sticks and buttons layout.
2 Be easy on the controls, they are sensitive. To lift off, just hold the RT only and get some height before you try to move forward. Keep the RT held when you tilt the craft so as to keep adding propulision. Without RT held you will crash when moving forward. Again, be easy on the sticks... Your left stick left-right does yaw (swing you left and right like a straight up turn) and the right stick up-down does pitch forward and backward and the right stick left-right does roll. Use yaw a lot rather than pitch... keep RT pulled when doing pitch or roll.
3. Jets aren't much different. Dont forget to use your after burner by clicking left stick, especially on short takeoffs and hard vertical climbs. Dont fly out of the area too far before you turn; its tempting to make really long strafing runs but often someone will get on your six if you try it. Dont decelerate too much for too long, but decelerating on turns can make a sharper turn.
4. You start with just one default weapon. Try and get kills on easy targets like other helicopters or solitary light vehicles - once you get some XP you will get Flares to keep you alive when missiles are coming and AA missiles to help you dog fight. Try to get your opponent to pop flares and then fire another salvo of missiles before his flare recharges. Stealth is a great perk, keeps them from locking on quickly. I'm looking forward to unlocking AGMs, it will be retarded good after that.

Feel free to hit me up with any questions - I'm no expert, but I am obsessed with flying in BF3
Good luck and good hunting.

With the jets, the best way to manoeuvre around the maps is to make your turns nice and tight. To do this, you need to scrub your speed (to reduce turning radius) then shortly after you've begun your turn, go full throttle and hit the afterburner.

Getting this down will help maximise the time you can spend supporting the ground forces, plus, it is a VERY useful skill to have in dogfights.

In regards to heli's, cav covered most things but I'd like to add that dropping altitude to lose LoS every now and then helps reduce the number of rockets being fired at you. As with circling around tall/bulky structures.