Although I am new, I have a few suggestions:
1) Listen! There is a lot of valuable advice given here and in game. Don't blow it off just because it doesn't make sense to you.
2) Don't up from a capped field. Yes, you will be the hero is you up and kill all the bad guys, but more that likely you will just killed and not learn anything in the process. Besides, it is just giving the badguys a "free" kill.
3) When in transit, scan all your views constantly. It can be difficult at first (especially if you are knew to virtual flying), but it will save your bacon more times than not.
4) When you can, wing with someone. They don't have to be a veteran. There is certain truth to the axiom "safety in numbers"
5) Altitude, Airspeed and Options (AAO): Don't run out of all three at the same time. Sounds like a quip, but if you always maintain at least two of these, you will generally live land you aircraft.
6) Avoid furballs. While they can be fun, it can drive you very quickly into sensory overload. At that point you are no longer very useful and ever second the odds mount against you. A better option is to fly just outside of the 6.0K range of a furball and look for bandits coming out of the fight. The will like be lacking two or more of AAO (see 5), will be running/evading and less likely to see you, will be bingo ammo/fuel/guts or will be damaged.
7) Don't dive to the deck unless you have no other option (refer to 5 again).
8) If you have someone on your six and cannot shake them, so do whatever you can at that point (short of stall). Skid, make uncoordinated maneuvers, pitch up, pitch down, jink...whatever. In this situation it is no time to try "sweet" flying. Nice, sweet, textbook turns, while pretty, will just get you killed. I can tell you from my own experience that, unless that pilot on my six was very good, it has saved my hide everytime I found myself in that position.
9) Fight with more than you guns. Your whole aircraft is a weapon. I know of one pilot that gets about half of his kills by flying people into the ground. Yes, the business end is the direction the barrels are pointing, but your aircraft is lethal just by its presence. Be agressive!
10) Turn to face the attack. That doesn't mean you have to climb up to them, but whatever they do, keep trying to point your guns in their direction. Was a bandit is inbound and within the 6.0K range, it is not time then to turn your tail toward them.
I hope these are helpful. They are rules that have helped me.
