Best ways to recognize if friendly or enemy aircraft

[Jumoschwanz]

WUD pointed out a lot of common sense things.

You know where your base, the enemies base and the front line is, you know what everyone is trying to accomplish and where they are coming from and where they are going. If you get close enough to actually interact with them, then you will be close enough to tell the aircraft by it's shape.

Look at what the AA is shooting at and who's AA it is, learn the tracers, all common sense.

Of course we are talking about flying Full Real, or hard settings. If you are flying on an easier server with any icons at all then you don't need to be reading this thread.