• View Flight Plan option after selecting mission.
• Eliminate waypoints - no sense in flying back to make a waypoint after you've been drawn off in battle Set up as few waypoints as possible.
• Waypoint locations - set up a line to get across NML between infantry locations, those high brass ass CO's will send you directly over the enemy!
• Use waypoints with as few guns to shoot at you as possible, ammo dumps and rail yards are out as far as navigation waypoints, airdromes have at least 3,bridges 2,towns have none.  Not much you can do about escort missions AFAIK .
  
  

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Courtesy of Tussnet

• When I'm in a furball, I always try hard to be the highest plane in the fight. Then I just dive on the enemies and push them lower to the ground, the whole time staying higher than everybody. This way, I am assured nobody is going to be on my tail when I'm picking my next target, plus if one of my wingmen get in trouble, I can dive to him. The AI is easier to shoot down when they're trying to shoot someone else down.
• For Balloon attacks: Be greedy and go for the balloon, while your wingmen go for the ground installations, so when the CAP dives on you, you will be the highest in the fight.
• Aerodrome attacks: Use the LIFO rule, Last In of all your wing mates, First Out, for every pass. This way the guns will concentrate on them, and not you. If your wingmen start to go home, don't go for "Just one more pass". Go with em.
• 2 - Seaters: Stay under them the whole time. No exceptions. If the start to turn so the gunner can get a shot at you, bank the same way they are banking, then push FORWARD on the stick for a little bit, then start to turn with them. This gets you under them as you turn. When you shoot at them, LEAD them. I don't think people lead these planes enough and end up hitting the bottom of the fuse. Shooting off the props of 2-seaters constitute for most of my and my wingmen's kills. Reminder: The 2 seaters like to get behind you now, so BREAK HARD if you start taking hits from behind.
• Collisions: Avoid these. Even if they don't break your plane apart, they might decelerate your plane to no airspeed, and you'll spin to your death. Get close to planes, but if you get TOO close, or the difference in airspeed is too much, just break off. Another go around is much better than dying.
• Ground Fire: Avoid at all cost, but drag enemies to your installations so the ground fire can pick them apart

Courtesy of Ziggy

Some things to keep in mind while you fly missions in SP...

• Avoid using any of the keys.... aka.... "N", "E" and "F". Only use your eyes..... if ya cant see it.... you cant know about it.... if you cant see the national markings, or tell by the shape of the mid range model..... it is a unknown and to be treated as such...... use the "T" key only after you visually ID a plane as being friend or foe.

• If not the flight leader then always follow the flight leader.... as in many many times the flight I will be apart of but not the lead will pass a flight of enemy planes.... close enough to tell what type of plane they are and to see the pilot/obsver figures, yet... the flight leader will ignore them and continue on to the mission target.

• If the flight leader always follow the mission... many have a time limit in getting to the mission target..... defend the balloon and such... you may shoot down a ton of enemies on the way, but if the balloon gets zapped because you putzed around shooting up things on the way....you will be in the deep six once you get back to base.... and in reality... get hammered big time....

• Depending on your position in a flight, you could/will be the wingman to the ai pilot in line in front of you.... stick with that guy, protect him....You should have noticed that if there is a AI pilot behind you on the position list they generally will be your wingman and follow you around....some do a good job and will ignore bad guys... even ones shooting them.... so watch them too....
  
  The point? As players even with the 255% ai enhancments it is possible to gain a kill record far beyond what even MvR would be capable....(thats if the game doesnt decide to whack you off no matter what you do and Ive seen and experienced this many many times). By following/sticking to the above 4 suggestions you will bring your kill count to a realistic level..... you will experience the game better.....

Courtesy of Seminole

Granted if you fly as a low ranking pilot, with little experience (few kill credits) you can be duped into some very tricky situations.

Once I gain rank and take command of a squadron I find things improve considerably in the AI's ability....with a little help from me.

• As CO I can then take the new guys up to high altitude and stand back and let them take out easy marks like BE2cs and watch their skills improve considerably. 

• Another good tactic is to look for a balloon attack mission and reassign myself as leader and limit the flight to one inexperienced pilot. I can get the balloon and then watch the rookie's tail when the covering flight attacks. If he survives this first encounter he has the potential of becoming a good addition to the squadron.

In the campaign I'm flying now I was drafted into Jasta 11 and by January 1917 I had assumed command. During January and February I concentrated on letting the other pilots get the majority of the kills. By March all my pilots had at least 5.

The payoff came this morning as we were assigned an aerodrome attack mission.  En route, we ran across a flight of Neuiport 11's attacking our infantry.  We broke this up and got one kill without loss.  I broke off and headed to the assigned aerodrome.  Upon arriving ,there was a flight of Neuiport 17's on the field. I strafed a hanger and AA battery then turned to engage the Neuiports, which by this time were airborne. The Jasta joined in, wiped them out, and then attacked the aerodrome inflicting damage...until I broke off the attack.

The total kills were 7 for the mission, with heavy damage to the enemy inflicted, and a score of almost 200,000.The friendly AI performed flawlessly.

I have to believe that the "bad reputation" the AI has isn't totally deserved....at least the AI that controls friendly pilots. The AI ability of the enemy opponents, on the other hand, is probably the least capable since the player has no opportunity to affect it. It does leave one wishing for better skilled foemen at times.