Damage modelling seems to be the worst part of every combat flight sim. In AH it's quite digital - you can pound the crap out of someones plane, but unless you meet the "X" value to actually break something, they seem to take no damage. All damageable parts of the plane are either 100% funtional, or completely gone.
Eg: You put a 30mm MK 108 round into someones wing. Unfortunately it doesn't do enough "damage" to remove the wing, and they fly on their merry way. In reality, that wing would have a big fat hole in it - and the internal parts like fuel lines, control cables, electrical wiring, etc. may have taken damage that could very well cause further damage, or make the plane unflyable.