TO me there are two problems with this game that drive me nuts,
1) not enough players. I am soooooo happy I dont live in Europe as I would have left this game years ago. We need new blood.
2) the aces. We have a number of players that are VERY good at what they do. So much so that many have brought out the "C" word on many of them. With thousands of hours under their belts they have become very good at their preferred style of play. The "pickers" know all the tricks on how players try to avoid them, the turners know all the trick to out turn planes they "shouldn't" out turn.
The game is slowly dying away because new players get frustrated with the learning curve and with getting killed all the time. The "aces" dont help anything by going around in their uber planes picking or out turning everyone to rack up kills.
I have been here years and as an "average" so called "pilot", get frustrated by trying to dodge pickers while fighting 1,2, or more guys. Getting HOed be every Yak and spit16 in the game. Can you imagine what a newbi thinks through the same thing? Its any wonder anyone stays past the 2 week free period.
Im not going to bother to suggest a solution because I know how far that flys, but I hope something is done one way or another.