You can fly Zeros, Betty bombers, and even rocket-powered Ohka suicide planes. Flight models and armament for every plane seem to be correct - Betty cannot outrun and outturn Bearcat. The accurate flight models add a lot of realism to the game, although they can bring a lot of frustration. When older airplanes like Devastator take off from the carrier, they almost fall into the water before they start climbing. Enemy intelligence level varies and can be adjusted by the player, but generally, it isn't bad.
Communicating is always important in a battle.
You can also command the whole squadron at the same time. If you do so, a guy with two red circles in his hands will appear. He really scared me the first time I saw him. Landing in net is tricky, but if you can do it, it's fun. Even though the game supports mouse and joystick, it is very playable even with keyboard.