I would pick a quiet part of the war with a plane you like to get started with. I personally time-advance at least 3 days between missions, imaging that those ones are the ones that I have a chance to engage on, with the others being wash-outs, milk runs, engine failures and what not. This allows me to advance in the war at a reasonable pace. After you get a feel for everything, you may want to join the
DiD campaign.
I would bind mixture and blip to your stick, maybe radiators but I am not sure that they are even modeled; someone above my pay grade will jump in with the correct info! The blip switch disengages the engine ignition on rotary-engine craft, as those often had limited throttle options, depending on the model. And don't forget to design a
custom paint scheme for your new ride!