What controls did you use in BC2? Because legacy controls are the closest you can get in BF3 to BC2 default.
I found the controls weird at first, but they became pretty intuitive after a few mins. The really challenging thing is how much altitude you lose during a maneuver (actually you're pretty much always losing alt. unless the nose is perfectly parallel to the horizon) and the more drastic you pitch or roll the worse it "sucks" you toward the ground. And the throttle cannot overcome this force -- you will eat dirt. So you have to basically premeditate every bank and turn, considering your current altitude and the severity of the maneuver, and compensate for the drop. One way to maintain altitude in a tight maneuver is to make it at speed. Or if you want to make a quicker turn, you have to let off but get back on the throttle at just the right time, because you're going to drop for the time you're off the throttle. There's not much room for error.
This all makes piloting so much fun! Very rewarding when you start owning shit. But I find myself still making dumb mistakes. Though the frequency is decreasing.
Flying in BF3 almost reminds me of playing GT5 a little bit... in a weird way.