I don't know if anyone else suggested this, but have you thought of having a list of different animations for flight that a player can choose from?
What if a player can choose from a list of flight patterns to by typing for example: /flight pattern 02 and be able to change the look of their characters flight? Some characters might fly upright, with their arms folded. Some might fly with one arm extended. Some characters might spin around as they hover. The possiblities are endless.
I don't know how complicated that would be, but it would be cool.
