Best way to train Allied pilots?

[JohnDillworth]

It is November 1943 and most of my air groups are in the 50's and 60's with a smattering of 30's and 40's. I presume gaining expericne was unnaturally slow as some of these units have seen heavey action. I have about 20 pilots with 80+ experience that I have switched to the training command. What is the best way to get my groups trained to a level of 70? 100% training? How long would that take. D I have to switch one of the 80+ pilots into to 40 group? At this point of the war I thought most of my groups would be in the 80's. Almost all of my level bomber groups are at about 55 and none over 60.
thanks

[pompack]

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

It is November 1943 and most of my air groups are in the 50's and 60's with a smattering of 30's and 40's. I presume gaining expericne was unnaturally slow as some of these units have seen heavey action. I have about 20 pilots with 80+ experience that I have switched to the training command. What is the best way to get my groups trained to a level of 70? 100% training? How long would that take. D I have to switch one of the 80+ pilots into to 40 group? At this point of the war I thought most of my groups would be in the 80's. Almost all of my level bomber groups are at about 55 and none over 60.
thanks

Still working on it, but it looks like the easiest way (minimum micromanagement) is the following

1. Find an air unit with a couple of decent pilots (80's is nice); if necessary micro-manage to get at least one decent pilot
2. Give it a leader with high admin, air, and inspiration (not sure about which attributes are importent yet)
3. Move it someplace safe and out of the way
4. Set the unit to Training Group, Automatic, max out aircraft
5. Set training level to 100%, and whatever training catagory you like (but not general training I think)
6. Add pilots until maxed (the get 10 pilots button goes away)
7. In a few weeks everyone is in the 50's; I assume a couple of months will get to 60's
8. Click "release 10 pilots" as required to dump most pilots back into the pool and repeat steps 6 & 7

Once this gets going and pilots are being dumped back into the pool, set the operational units to accept 50+ replacements.
Note that this works best on totally new pilots. Any pilot with a few missions to his credit will train much slower even if he has a low rating.

I like this because it is so little trouble. I would also like to see any suggestions to make it better, faster, or easier.

The Brits did this in Bomber Command and called them OTUs (Operational Training Units). New pilots out of flight school were sent through an OTU before being assigned to an operational squadron. Pilots completing tours (if any) were sent to OTUs to instruct and rest (but a number were killed in training accidents there).

[Central Blue]

ORIGINAL: pompack

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

It is November 1943 and most of my air groups are in the 50's and 60's with a smattering of 30's and 40's. I presume gaining expericne was unnaturally slow as some of these units have seen heavey action. I have about 20 pilots with 80+ experience that I have switched to the training command. What is the best way to get my groups trained to a level of 70? 100% training? How long would that take. D I have to switch one of the 80+ pilots into to 40 group? At this point of the war I thought most of my groups would be in the 80's. Almost all of my level bomber groups are at about 55 and none over 60.
thanks

Still working on it, but it looks like the easiest way (minimum micromanagement) is the following

1. Find an air unit with a couple of decent pilots (80's is nice); if necessary micro-manage to get at least one decent pilot
2. Give it a leader with high admin, air, and inspiration (not sure about which attributes are importent yet)
3. Move it someplace safe and out of the way
4. Set the unit to Training Group, Automatic, max out aircraft
5. Set training level to 100%, and whatever training catagory you like (but not general training I think)
6. Add pilots until maxed (the get 10 pilots button goes away)
7. In a few weeks everyone is in the 50's; I assume a couple of months will get to 60's
8. Click "release 10 pilots" as required to dump most pilots back into the pool and repeat steps 6 & 7

Once this gets going and pilots are being dumped back into the pool, set the operational units to accept 50+ replacements.
Note that this works best on totally new pilots. Any pilot with a few missions to his credit will train much slower even if he has a low rating.

I like this because it is so little trouble. I would also like to see any suggestions to make it better, faster, or easier.

The Brits did this in Bomber Command and called them OTUs (Operational Training Units). New pilots out of flight school were sent through an OTU before being assigned to an operational squadron. Pilots completing tours (if any) were sent to OTUs to instruct and rest (but a number were killed in training accidents there).

Re: point 4. Which button, or series of buttons does one click? At this particular point in the interface I am having flashbacks:

On the wall in front of you is a group of buttons colored blue, yellow, brown, and red. There are doorways to the west and south.

There is a group of tool chests here.

There is a wrench here.

There is an object which looks like a tube of toothpaste here.

There is a screwdriver here.

[Central Blue]

I have zorked my way through this...

For any un-restricted squadron regardless of withdrawal date, click on the link that assigns the type of pilot experience requested, after you pass 90+ your next option is "training group"

Seems like this information could use a mention and a screen shot in the pilot management addendum some where in item 1 on "Type of pilot assigned."

1. Type of pilot assigned
This control shows the experience level of pilots being assigned to this group.
The control is clickable and cycles through the following values;
• Any: As it states, it will draw pilots of any experience
• Trained 50+: This will draw pilots with an experience of 50 – 60
• Rookie 60+: This will draw pilots with an experience of 60 – 70
• Experienced 70+: This will draw pilots with an experience of 70 – 80
• Veteran 80+: This will draw pilots with an experience of 80 – 90
• Elite 90+: This will draw pilots with an experience of 90+.
> one more click makes it a training group

[Nomad]

One note - you do not have to max out the aircraft to get a lot of training. But do max out the pilots.

Note only one aircraft for 13 pilots.

[pompack]

ORIGINAL: Central Blue

ORIGINAL: pompack

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

It is November 1943 and most of my air groups are in the 50's and 60's with a smattering of 30's and 40's. I presume gaining expericne was unnaturally slow as some of these units have seen heavey action. I have about 20 pilots with 80+ experience that I have switched to the training command. What is the best way to get my groups trained to a level of 70? 100% training? How long would that take. D I have to switch one of the 80+ pilots into to 40 group? At this point of the war I thought most of my groups would be in the 80's. Almost all of my level bomber groups are at about 55 and none over 60.
thanks

Still working on it, but it looks like the easiest way (minimum micromanagement) is the following

1. Find an air unit with a couple of decent pilots (80's is nice); if necessary micro-manage to get at least one decent pilot
2. Give it a leader with high admin, air, and inspiration (not sure about which attributes are importent yet)
3. Move it someplace safe and out of the way
4. Set the unit to Training Group, Automatic, max out aircraft
5. Set training level to 100%, and whatever training catagory you like (but not general training I think)
6. Add pilots until maxed (the get 10 pilots button goes away)
7. In a few weeks everyone is in the 50's; I assume a couple of months will get to 60's
8. Click "release 10 pilots" as required to dump most pilots back into the pool and repeat steps 6 & 7

Once this gets going and pilots are being dumped back into the pool, set the operational units to accept 50+ replacements.
Note that this works best on totally new pilots. Any pilot with a few missions to his credit will train much slower even if he has a low rating.

I like this because it is so little trouble. I would also like to see any suggestions to make it better, faster, or easier.

The Brits did this in Bomber Command and called them OTUs (Operational Training Units). New pilots out of flight school were sent through an OTU before being assigned to an operational squadron. Pilots completing tours (if any) were sent to OTUs to instruct and rest (but a number were killed in training accidents there).

Re: point 4. Which button, or series of buttons does one click? At this particular point in the interface I am having flashbacks:

Keep clicking the text in area 1 until "elite" appears and then click one more time and you will get the messge box shown as 1A. Click yes
"Auto" is shown as 2
If this particular unit needed additional a/c, there would be the usual button in area 3 to click.

See next post

[pompack]

When you are finished, the area show as 1 will indicate Training and automatic.

The button shown as 2 is used for grabbing additional pilots to train

Note that this screenshot has a bad leader who should be replaced for best training



EDIT: Note that in this example I was able to put 66 pilots in the unit. Also, while not shown, it was not necessary to add a veteran pilot since the unit started with one 80 and two 70s. When filled out the other pilots were pretty uniformly distributed between 25 and 48; I would expect to be able to harvest them as mostly 50s in about a five weeks (training 20s is VERY fast). Getting them into the 60s would take at least an additional 5-6 weeks

From reading the pilot management manual addendum, the key items are at least a few pilots at 70+ and a good leader since that gives you multiple chances for a training hit for each trainee.

[Central Blue]

thanks pompack. Your explanation is very detailed, and makes a person think about how to use those early war PP's and when to withdraw air units.

Also, your screen shots are much nicer. Maybe I need to use faster film? [;)]

[castor troy]

the only thing I don´t get is why setting it as a training unit when you can always do training? [&:]

[FatR]

   I don't think that setting training to 100% is a good idea. I heard that 70% is an optimal level to avoid fatigue and ops losses, and it seems to be true.

[Grotius]

FatR, if you set training to 70%, does the game rotate which pilots fly every day, or does it keep selecting the same ones over and over? (Actually, I have the same question about front-line squadrons too.)

[vinnie71]

Well if training works the same way as fighting, there is a constant rotation of personnel.

[castor troy]

ORIGINAL: Grotius

FatR, if you set training to 70%, does the game rotate which pilots fly every day, or does it keep selecting the same ones over and over? (Actually, I have the same question about front-line squadrons too.)

I have a very bad feeling about not setting it to the maximum possible when I think about WITP. In WITP the game tended to always take the same pilots to fly a recon mission for example, instead of rotating them. I keep my pilots on 100% training, I haven´t seen an increase of op losses compared to using 70%. Well, of course you have more op losses, in fact you are also doing more training. But you only have 30% more op losses IMO for 30% more training.

[Sardaukar]

ORIGINAL: Grotius

FatR, if you set training to 70%, does the game rotate which pilots fly every day, or does it keep selecting the same ones over and over? (Actually, I have the same question about front-line squadrons too.)

Pilots are selected by fatigue and experience. So yes, it'll rotate pilots.

[Lrfss]

A quick Q?

I'm gussing that the Green on the Pilot Screen indicates just changed/advanced in training/combat in that particular area?

And Orange means what, going to change sometime soon?

Thanks in advance!

Lrfss

[medicff]

ORIGINAL: Lrfss

A quick Q?

I'm gussing that the Green on the Pilot Screen indicates just changed/advanced in training/combat in that particular area?

And Orange means what, going to change sometime soon?

Thanks in advance!

Lrfss

Green - equals skill gain last turn
Orange - skill gain within current month (not last turn)

[HHI]

wow! You guys got all this info out of the Pilot Management Addendum? Could be my....(a) brain is gone; (b) my eyes are gone; (c) All of the above. Or maybe, just maybe, the addendum needs an addendum.

[scott64]

This shall be renamed pompack's method for training pilots. [:'(]

[pompack]

ORIGINAL: castor troy

the only thing I don´t get is why setting it as a training unit when you can always do training? [&:]

A Training unit (as opposed to simply a unit training [:D]) is allowed to expand to double pilots. AND you can rotate the trained pilots back to the general pool in groups of 10. Also you can only get the instructors bonus (PMA section 7 Item 3) in a training unit

[Smeulders]

Nice that you get an instructor bonus, but can someone tell me what an instructor is exactly ? And do they work in unit temporarily made a trainer group, or only for groups that are made dedicated trainer groups in the editor ?