I totally agree with the thread starter. Airstrips and the need to move back to the base for rearm and repair would be much better than the currently implemented system. The system worked well in the older BF titles and also ensured a better balance because also the top pilots had to leave the battle in order to rearm an repair every now and then.
The vehicle stealing issue - if it was one - could easily be solved by locking vehicles in a main base for the opponent as long as they have not been used.
I used to fly a lot in BF 1942 - although I did not specialize in flying. I agree with the comments above that flying in older BF titles needed much more practice in order to master it, but I am of the opinion that this adds to the long time motivation. Actually I did not like the planes how they were implemented in BF 1 and - based on the videos - in BF V they look almost the same. I really would love to see planes with different characteristics (within a class) and good flight physics (e.g. stalling if you are pulling the plane up too fast).