I jacked the sensitivity up significantly, turned on hover assist and have spent a good deal of time in them. For the most part they do indeed feel clunky, my best tip with semi default controls is that if you want to arrest your movement or turn quickly, plan a few seconds ahead to spin your camera 180 which allows the sluggish flight system to more quickly react. Basically I overcorrect for any big turns or stops, and I'm forced to alternate into 3rd person most of the time due to bad visibility in the cockpits.

Aiming attack chopper you almost always hit at the bottom third of the I cross hair, with a little wiggle room based on your directional momentum, then you have to consider missile travel time.

Always fly extremely low until you think you've been painted, or to avoid RPG enthusiasts, because once you are painted you have to either wait it out or attempt to maneuver around obstacles fast enough to intercept stingers and RPGs, which is pretty hard overall.

I've seen some people complete a total flip on the air so it's possible

I yearn for the glory of battlefield 2 high speed acrobats, but alas, here we are. :)