The 'Take-over Mode' is an interesting idea, although we may have to think about implementation.
On one hand, the Take-over Mode would enable much more precise tactical control at individual plane level.
One the other hand, this may necessitate going to the external view (or map view), jumping to different planes in your flight and assess their status regularly. For example, using the landing priority example, the human player would have to know which plane in the flight is heading close to base, ready for landing, and which is not. If the flight is long distance apart, for example, result of a plane disengaging and returning home early - the human player may have to manage its landing priority while shepherding the rest of the flight during combat. But it is an intriguing idea that has a lot potential ...
Any additional thought on potential AI improvement?
How about ship AI? Simple, predefined capital ship evasive maneuver when under attack for example? Would it be feasible/desirable?
Cheers,