Fly when your own time allows you to basically mate

,you'll always find some guys on during the evenings,normally 19.00hrs GMT onwards,and at weekends it gets much more busier obviously.
Flying with CEM is a must,as it is with most of the serious flying servers,so it's best you get started with that asap IMO.It might be a bit difficult to start with,but I can assure you,you'll soon get the hang of it,and it's very rewarding when you finally master it.
I use my own settings on the Warthog always have done,you'll find it easier to remember the controls if you do this to be honest