Originally posted by Ghosth
Consider joining Squad ops, it is IMO the best flying that AH has to offer.
No arena caps, no ENY limits, orders come out ahead of time so you have time to practice in the plane you'll be flying. One life event, so no pork & augers, fewer HO's. Gang bang or horde, well that depends on how big your squad is and who you run into. It can happen, but it doesn't happen every time.
What Ghosth said x10. Personally I find FSO and other events a million times more rewarding than MA play. It's great bonding for squads as well.
Think about it. Usually in the MA, even if your squad is all set up for a coordinated strike/whatever, odds are the other side isn't. With events, there is a fixed objective, and you KNOW the other side is going to be just as organized (if not more) as your side. Makes for MUCH better fighting if the CIC's are doing their jobs and making sure everything's as fair as possible.
Plus the event logs give a really neat picture of who did what during the event.
As a CO, you will be expected to handle some details for your flight/squad, such as interpreting orders and making sure everyone is on the same page (get used to saying "100% fuel, bombs and rockets" about fifty times).
It's great. Without the events, I doubt I'd still be playing AH. A lot of times the level of stupidity in the MA drives me off in frustration, that's not why I play games.