Flying coffin, so far. 
go in the training arena, and experiment in it. max. fuel load should be 50% internal, and 2 drops. you can jettison the drops. i like using them when i'm bomber hunting.
never.....NEVER flat turn against little wiggly airplanes. use the vertical. speed no lower than about 250. set your convergence all the way out to 650, as your guns are all in the nose. never go more than 20 degrees flaps. you can sometimes, but beyond that much you're creating a lot more drag than lift. you need to learn to work the flaps.
