Struggling to Master

[Jonesyy]

Hey guys I have been playing IL-2 after getting into Flight Sims about a month ago. I now own TrackIR and an X52 PRO to enhance my game but I am struggling to master a few aspects.

The first isn't so much as an issue by myself just a little confusing. My propeller pitch seems to automatically go to 10% or so for no reason and I need to manually bring it back up to 100%. This even happened on autopilot the other day as I was flying home.

The next are little things. Struggling to beat Carrier landings for one but can anybody give me some tips, or direct me to a guide for dummies on all things flight sims. One of the biggest problems though is this:

I can never catch up to enemy fighters. They always go faster than me and after a while my plane stops being able to climb properly at all. I imagine this could be something to do with my engine heat but I am not sure. Also, when I shoot (even though I take gravity/convergence) into account I can never hit anything. In contrast, on CloD or Battle of Britain or Rise of Flight I am generally fine.

Cheers for any advice for a n00b
Dan