Same here, but unfortunately they've nerfed the AA in this game so much that I'm starting to not like air maps...it takes a solid 5 seconds to lock onto a hovering helo with a Stinger (which is usually way too long before they're out of range); then if you do get a lock there's about a 20% chance that the missile will even hit; then IF you actually get a missile to hit, there's about a 40% chance that it will actually kill the aircraft (which means it takes three missiles to kill one)...

It also takes HUNDREDS of bullets from a AAA gun to even damage an aircraft, and if it's a transport chopper with mechanics repairing constantly then it's pointless.

Last night I was playing Wake Island and the enemy had two transport helos constantly repairing and just laying waste to everything; I got killed eight times in a row by the same chopper lol! After about 15min of owning the skies everyone on my team started using Jav's/SOFLAM's and AA missiles, and even had the mobile AAA, yet they STILL were able to dominate the skies. At the end of the round (~30 min) both gunners had over 40 kills and less than 10 deaths. That just goes to show that AA in this game is useless. The only effective way to counter aircraft is with other aircraft or a dedicated SOFLAM/Jav team that keeps aircraft painted (most people just put one up and never actually use it).

I wonder if they did this on purpose so more people will buy the CQB DLC lol!

Sorry for the rant; I've tried flying aircraft and the physics/"flight model" is so ridiculous that I just can't get the hang of it. I usually just point my x-hairs at a target and fill it full of bullets until I crash into it lol!

tanks were the same way and they just weakened them.

i might have to go on a "Cheese" server, and use choppers and crap to unlock stuff.

the only time i usually use choppers is on certain maps,

A. load the transport up and go for objectives. Ditch the chopper when i no longer need it.


B. Pilot the Attack chopper w/ my brother as the nose gunner.
Usually works out well for about 5 to 10 minutes, after that I get targeted by everybody on the other team it isnt funny.


C. the Construction map, with the tunnel in the middle, had a nice time with the enemy's scout chopper..
He tried to hover over the flag,
I flanked him and put two in his head w/ my G3A3,
The chopper fell 10 feet and landed on it's skids intact and I ran up and jumped in, from that point on i was hovering outside the tunnel on our side of the Map, since that was their only entry point to get to the back 3 flags,
Their chopper would not respawn because I'm in it :p, hehe. So I took out their Air support, and limited them to ground attacks only

And let me tell you, I've never seen so much cursing int he chat box.

Just got the fire extinguisher unlock, chose it over the flares, and died immediately.

Is there any compelling reason to choose the fire extinguisher unlock over the flares, since it's either or? Cant see being able to survive long without being able to spoof missiles.

fire extinguisher is pretty much useless.

i was gonna be a clown on one server, i figured i could land the flanker, take the spawn turn it around and use the road to take off,... didnt work out so well, landed, and got blown up by a tank 2 seconds later.

It is infuriatingly dumb how the game forces you to choose between. Rocket pods or heat seeking missiles, but doesn't allow you to have both. Heck, when I have rocket pods I can still see sidewinder missiles oly wingtips when I look back, so the game visually models them. Really stupid, and removes the multi role capability of the jets. I am correct that choppers can equip both air to ground and air to air missiles, fit?

i dunno, i haven't accumulated enough points to unlock them.

i might find a small un populated server with my brother and just flag hop in the chopper and collect the points

i hate the jets because even though the battle fields are a lot bigger, they are still a fraction of what i would need to do any kind of jet operations. by time i turn around and line up the target on the ground im already overshooting them, if i go too far a way and turn around it doesnt end well, either i get the off map warning or i get shot down, and if i eject over the off map area im still dead.

not to mention you start out with just guns, so im fighting off choppers with missiles and other planes with missiles, and the ground troops.

your not really loading the stores on the plane, your choosing your specialization skill or some BS, so basically they are saying soldiers can only know how to operate 1 thing at a time, its the same with the ground vehicles and soldier kits.

I k ow, but they visually modeling both AA missiles and rocket pods on the wing stores, while oly letting the player use one or the other. Irritating.

Gotta remeber, BF3 is a GAME and not a military "simulator". The idea behind the design is suppose to be more like rock, paper, scissors. Starting to put in things that "simulate" the real world too closely would just take away and reasonable amount of balance the game currently has. Limiting what you can actually have on your chopper of plane maintains that balance.

Checkers with guns, but it has its moments.