Heavy planes can survive some serious damage, but they have slow acceleration. Normal planes can stand moderate damage and have slightly faster acceleration. In most missions you get to choose from a few planes, but later in the game you'll be stuck with one super plane. Most of the aircraft have multiple missile and gun choices, but a selection must be made before the battle commences. The face buttons are used to select target, fire missile or gun and zoom in on the radar.
Shoulder buttons throttle up and down and tilt the plane.
I always find that the D-pad works best for more accurate control, but the analog stick may be used if you wish. Shooting down a target is relatively simple, and is stunning to watch. Most missiles will lock-on to an enemy automatically but some missions insist only guns be used. Once 'locked on' the targeted crafts make, model and distance are recorded on your HUD, thus avoiding shooting down the wrong target. The adrenaline really starts pumping as the plane closes in towards the 2,000 meters mark.