I played BF1942 and BF2, and I were among those who would be called gods of the skies.

As of now though, it has been a long time and right now, this is sadly a travesty as such a basic defensive mechanism as flares or smoke is not unlocked right away on veichles feels just bad. I can "understand" the weapons like missiles etc, but at least let players start with the flares so they stand a fair chance in the air cause right now, it is near impossible to catch up without those to protect you from the constant barrage of lock-ons.