Pilot Training and A2A Tactics

[RangerJoe]

None of the AE campaigns or scenarios include the 16.3 Training Groups. It was an idea that never made it into the final game. RJ is correct in that you can designate Air Groups as "Trainers" in the Editor, but whether there is game code which will make use of that, I couldn't say.

There is a mod (I forget which one) that had the training groups in them for the US and it worked.

[BBfanboy]

Gotcha, thanks. I think all I'll do I use all the AGs that are set to withdraw in early 1942 as my training groups and keep them on CONUS East Coast and Western India and just raid them for partially trained pilots before I withdraw them.

Once I have a bunch of guys with 60-70ish skills I want I'll reassign them to some other groups not set to withdraw for fine tuning before sending them off to get combat experience. I figure i'll swap out pilots of groups about to be loaded onto ships so the delay to join the squadron expires while they are enjoying their cruise.

Don't forget that changing aircraft models during change of squadrons also brings an Experience hit for the pilots. It's not huge, but it takes a few weeks to get back to where they were before on the new aircraft.

[Arkham]

Gotcha, thanks. I think all I'll do I use all the AGs that are set to withdraw in early 1942 as my training groups and keep them on CONUS East Coast and Western India and just raid them for partially trained pilots before I withdraw them.

Once I have a bunch of guys with 60-70ish skills I want I'll reassign them to some other groups not set to withdraw for fine tuning before sending them off to get combat experience. I figure i'll swap out pilots of groups about to be loaded onto ships so the delay to join the squadron expires while they are enjoying their cruise.

Don't forget that changing aircraft models during change of squadrons also brings an Experience hit for the pilots. It's not huge, but it takes a few weeks to get back to where they were before on the new aircraft.

Is that just the XP stat that takes the hit, or the working skills (Air, NavS, AWS, etc etc etc)

[RangerJoe]

Gotcha, thanks. I think all I'll do I use all the AGs that are set to withdraw in early 1942 as my training groups and keep them on CONUS East Coast and Western India and just raid them for partially trained pilots before I withdraw them.

Once I have a bunch of guys with 60-70ish skills I want I'll reassign them to some other groups not set to withdraw for fine tuning before sending them off to get combat experience. I figure i'll swap out pilots of groups about to be loaded onto ships so the delay to join the squadron expires while they are enjoying their cruise.

Don't forget that changing aircraft models during change of squadrons also brings an Experience hit for the pilots. It's not huge, but it takes a few weeks to get back to where they were before on the new aircraft.

Is that just the XP stat that takes the hit, or the working skills (Air, NavS, AWS, etc etc etc)

The experience and not the skills.

[Arkham]

Don't forget that changing aircraft models during change of squadrons also brings an Experience hit for the pilots. It's not huge, but it takes a few weeks to get back to where they were before on the new aircraft.

Is that just the XP stat that takes the hit, or the working skills (Air, NavS, AWS, etc etc etc)

The experience and not the skills.

Makes sense:

FNG: Hey, glad to be part of the squadron. I was great back stateside in the AT-6 Texan, even managed to 'shoot down' my instructor!
Old Salt: Well boy, this ain't the AT-6, this is the P-38, gotta whole lot more kick to 'er!

[irfanahmed1979]

Ok, so I'm a bit confused. I know that the RAF has a training HQ somewhere in Lahore (India) in the full campaign. I think squadrons can be assigned to this HQ. However, I haven't heard of training Air Groups or squadrons.

[RangerJoe]

Ok, so I'm a bit confused. I know that the RAF has a training HQ somewhere in Lahore (India) in the full campaign. I think squadrons can be assigned to this HQ. However, I haven't heard of training Air Groups or squadrons.

They are in some specific training squadrons in user made scenarios (mods) but you can use the restricted squadrons with older aircraft for training purposes but they don't have the benefits of the editor made training squadrons.

[Arkham]

Ok, so I'm a bit confused. I know that the RAF has a training HQ somewhere in Lahore (India) in the full campaign. I think squadrons can be assigned to this HQ. However, I haven't heard of training Air Groups or squadrons.

They are in some specific training squadrons in user made scenarios (mods) but you can use the restricted squadrons with older aircraft for training purposes but they don't have the benefits of the editor made training squadrons.

Basically, as I understand it, look for squadrons that are not set to withdraw (they don't have a # next to their name in the group list), set them to reinforce but not upgrade (those rookies bang up the landing gear something fierce) and set them to train 100 percent and zero distance and select a mission you want the pilots to be good at. Load them up with people right out of the replacements pool, NOT the reserves pool to get guys that are done with initial training. The numbers in () mean the average experience of that pool So replacements (30) vs reserves (54).

However, to speed things up it will behoove you to put in two or three guys who have high xp and high stats in the skills you want to train. These will be the instructors s help train the rookies up faster. There is a yes/no for retain in the far right column of the pilot list. Set those instructors to YES to keep them from being removed once the training is over.

Once training is done with your non-instructor pilots being in the 60s-70s for the skills you want (air, groundB, Navs, recon, etc etc) and have decent XP scores you can send them in waves of 10 to the reserves. Then grab a bunch of new recruits and keep going. Those in the reserves you send to operational squadrons to fight. Some of 'em will eventually even come back to be instructors.

I think, but I don't know, that if you only graduate groups of ten at a time it helps make the newest recruits gain XP faster since the squad is fill of more experienced pilots, so their average skill gains will be quicker. I don't think (But again, dont know for sure) that dumping all the pilots except for the instructors is a good idea.

BTW, if you are playing as allies don't bother with TRACOM for British and American pilot pools. TRACOM helps make raw recruits graduate early from their initial training and puts them faster into the replacement pool. China, Oz and NZ might make use of them since their pools are smaller, but the British and American pools are huge so its not needed. Keep your aces as instructors instead.

[Cavalry Corp]

When designated as training squadrons ( in the editor only) - Then on map I think you can add a lot more pilots to them. I have some in my mod but not too many, more for the allies and just a few for Japan as there is a lot of on map training already - way too much for Jpn. I will check mine again and let you know - struggling with work issue to get min out then you will see . RA mod has a lot of training units BTW.

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