So yes we all agree the AI needs improving.

Personally though I want the damage model to be improved.

How many times has someone lost one of their stabilizers? Horizontal or vertical? Hell I am not even sure if the elevator or rudder can be properly damaged. I would love to see control cables able to be severed as well.

Also the landing gear seems exceptionally robust to anything short of crashing into another plane or the ground.

I would also like to see better damage on the engines. Right now all it has is a % of damage corresponding to the RPM for over-reving. That seems soooooo simplistic considering the amount of damage you can do to the wings.

I've often wondered about the stabilizors and controls as well. Control damage was a big immersion factor for me in il2. Hopefully they'll put it into RoF if it's not already there.

The damage model in ROF is one of the best out there. Damage can occur to ailerons, rudder and elevator causing you to lose control of them. I don't believe control wires being shot out affects the control of the plane but considering how great it is in every other way, that is a minor issue if indeed that's the case.

I think the "hit boxes" on the planes are far too general for control wires being shot to actually cause you to lose control of the plane, every burst put into the rear of an opponent would cause them to lose rudder and elevator control IMO.

Jump into the gun of a rear seater and try to blow off the rudder, elevator, horizontal stabilizer or vertical stabilizer of another plane.

When I tried I could not get enough damage on them to affect the plane's handling.

Better yet jump in the gunner control and shoot off your own tail and see how well that goes. It works I've done it a number of times.

In fact I took this screen yesterday cause I thought the way he holds the pistol when looking backwards was hilarious but if you look you can see my right aileron is missing.

I don't usually get elevators and rudders shot off because I never shoot from directly behind, I always try to get a deflection shot on the engine or pilot seat so I usually see missing ailerons and blown engines instead of rudder and elevators missing, but it does happen I know for a fact.

Oh you know what I have video proof even, I made this a while back and at 1:13 you can see the DFW hits my tail and knocks off an elevator flap.

I know I've dived too fast in some kites and my ailerons and/or rudder and/or elevators were blown clean off!

Yep, if you dive straight down in any plane and just let it go everything will tear off.

Besides, they have been improving the damage model alongside FM fixes, the N17/n11/se5/spadvii all have breakable fuselages now.

The control surface that departs my aircraft most often is the right aileron on my trusty DIII Alb. If I get going too fast and snatch the controls, the right side is gone-and it's always the right side! I can still fly the aircraft but roll rates are reeeeaally slow!!!!