War Thunder beginner's guide: tips and tricks for air battles

Topping the leaderboards of War Thunder's air battles is no mean feat. The skies are full of virtual Red Barons who are seemingly impossible to keep up with and even harder to escape. The prospect of challenging these aerial aces rather than simply trying to avoid them is an ominous one when you're just starting out in one of the best plane games. Prefer your combat on the ground? Check out the best tank games on PC.
While the realistic penetration and ballistic mechanics differ little from War Thunder's Ground Forces game, the increased speed and manoeuvrability make air battles an entirely different prospect.
Additionally, there are no pathways to channel action into major points of contention, which means a battle can quickly devolve into a terrifying haze of flaming wreckages, bullets and occasionally - very occasionally - a still-flying, intact plane. Being that intact plane is your goal. This is your guide.
RELATED LINKS:
Plane games: the best airplane and flying games on PC
Best free Steam games
Tank games: 11 of the best on PC