I'm a little stuck right now, actually - I'm playing the PC version of "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas"
Try to get a better plane. If you can't do that, check the marker for the plane on your map. Then adjust your height is neccesary.
Are you willing to use cheats? You can get a better plane that way.
Dude, there are Shamals (the same make of plane you're trying to catch) right next to the hangar. The game requires you, however, to use the fucking Dodo. There's a big blue arrow above it, and that's the only plane you're allowed to complete the mission in - the plane you're meant to be catching doesn't manifest into the game world unless you get into that specific Dodo, and you fail the mission if you leave that plane for any reason.
Which is a bit fucking crap, truth be told. I'd sooo much rather grab a Hunter and blow the fucking thing out of the sky than muck around with trying to catch the bastard thing in a bloody Dodo....
had a bit of fun lately, mind - I found what would appear to be the only jumbo jet in the game parked in a hangar in Las Venturas airport, so I took it out for a spin. Maxed out my flying skill just keeping going in a straight line, trying to find Liberty City, eventually gave up and tried to land in San Fierro, but the bloody wing tips scraped a runway-side sign, and the plane blew up.
And NO, I do not cheat on my first time through a game. EVER.
I agree most new games are much easier, authough I bought the remake of metal gear solid and I kicked ass this time arround and the only noticeable difference is a few new moves and the graphics.
Lots of games are far too easy by yesterdays standards, I played some NES game the other day and they are as hard as they were for me when I first played them.
A list of games you may want to try if you want a challenge:
Ninja Gaiden (on hard setting, you die a lot. On hard setting, ninjas come to your home, slaughter your roommate, and then beat you to death with his spleen...)
Tony Hawk's Underground (both 1 and 2, but especially number 1 - the final skate-off between you and your rival is INSANELY difficult)
Freelancer (Some of the big battles during the storyline still get me sweating when I replay them, and I'm fucking GOOD at that game...)
The Temple of Elemental Evil (Steepest. Difficulty curve. Ever. The damn thing throws giant frogs that can eat and instantly kill your characters without much trouble at you as one of the first damned encounters of the game, immediately followed up by a small army of bandits - all while you're still only a first level party)
The Lord of the Rings - the Third Age (no matter how good you are, and how much you train the party, I guarantee that the bad guys in the most recent chapter you reach will always be a genuine threat. I've seen the GAME OVER screen in that game a great many times)