Condor my suggestion is check out netaces.org. Can't help on the 8 man arena as I've never played it but take it from a relative noob you're going to die a LOT in the arenas. SA (situational awareness) really is important in fact it is, in my opinion, one of the most important aspects of the game. Keep plugging away and keep asking questions.
One thing I did when I discoverd this game was to go back about a year in the threads of this forum and read everything that I thought might pertain to a question I had at the time or would ask. It's a LOT of information to absorb so don't expect to be great in a week or two. These planes all have their own flight characteristics and abilities and it's tough to move from one to the other.
FILM YOUR FLIGHTS FILM YOUR FLIGHTS FILM YOUR FLIGHTS. Much like football you can learn a lot from watching what you did in a given situation and what the opposition does in response.
Use the trainers.. that's what they're here for. Just send them a pm and they'll make time for you. This is an invaluable resource that costs nothing but time and they're all great and patient people.
Best of luck