Im new and have some questions...

[Supadude]

Hi there, im heavily considering getting planetside, and it could be that i get it from direct2drive later today.

I just have a few questions concerning the game (im sorry if these have been asked before and i missed it)

1) Are the empires really unbalanced on any server?
2) Will i have access to all the servers even though i live in the UK (as i presume the US servers will have the highest population)
3) The BFR's look awesome, but are they frowned upon? I was planning on getting the cert's for one, but im not too hot on it if it will make me seem "n00bish"
4) Do people with low battle ranks get less exp if they join a squad with people with high battle ranks?
5) How does the exp work if your in a non-combat role? (a pilot for example)?

Thats it really, thanks in advance. = )