Your avatar and livery are shown to every pilot in your server — on the scoreboard, in the lobby, and painted on your plane.
Phones & tablets: drag anywhere on the left half to fly (pull down = nose up), slide the bar on the right for throttle, and tap FIRE / MSL / FLR. Buttons along the top: camera, gear, brake, target, map, scores, chat and menu.
Gamepads work too: left stick flies, right stick yaws, RT guns, A missile, B flares, bumpers throttle, Y gear, X camera. Turn on Mouse flight in Settings to steer with the mouse.