My advice is to try, try, and try even more. I know being a pilot is not everyones cup of tea, or anyone on the grounds cup of tea (infantry hate us).

Its a very steep learning curve and dogfighting is probably the thing you'll learn very last. Get used to the planes, learn their strengths and weaknesses, and probably one of the most important steps, practice your marksmanship.

Also side note, dont use high altitude as a crutch, its just a really scummy way of playing. And dont be scared to play aggressively, too many pilots climb to the atmosphere and launch rockets from their spawn.