Pilots

[Jim Stevens]

Could someone please point me to a posting that will give me a step by step how to move pilots around? Just trying to steal some good pilots from the 'training' air groups before they go East.

[jmalter]

When you view any air-group, at the bottomleft is a yellow 'Pilots' text, click on that to show the group's pilots.

in this screen at the bottomcenter is yellow text that you can click on to change between 'Group' or 'Reserve'.

at the bottomleft are 1/5/10 buttons, you can send that number of pilots to 'Group' (retained in the air-group for rest) or 'Reserve' (sent to the pool & available to other air-groups).

Once pilots are sent to 'Reserve', any other group can grab them, if they've got a need for more pilots. If a group is full of pilots, you can send all of them to 'Reserve' - removing all pilots from the group (sometimes one pilot is RED, that's the leader).

Then you look at this air-group, at the middle-left is a 'Get Pilots' button, 1st you click on the yellow-text will change from 'Any / Replacement / Reserve / TRACOM', so that it shows 'Reserve'.

Now when you click the 'Get Veterans' button, you can re-staff your air-group w/ pilots in your Reserve pool.

Learning how to move pilots is essential to keeping your airforces on the up-and-up. best wishes!

[Major Shane]

Interesting, I'm learning more as a I go with this game. Someone please make sure I'm on track. But as I read the above, I understand the best technique for managing pilots from a withdrawing group is: 1) train them until the day of group withdrawal; 2) Transfer the best trained pilots to reserve; 3) then withdraw the group. Or do I want to transfer all pilots to reserve and then withdraw the group. My assumption is that no pilots are required to be on hand for the group's withdrawal.

[CowboyRonin]

You can withdraw a unit with no pilots. In some cases, the pilots and planes will dump to the pools; in others, they will leave. I'm not sure how to tell which is which before hitting the Withdraw button. If a group cannot "withdraw" and must be disbanded, I think that always dumps the planes and pilots unless there is another group in the hex with the same plane type to take them on.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: m_shane_perkins

Interesting, I'm learning more as a I go with this game. Someone please make sure I'm on track. But as I read the above, I understand the best technique for managing pilots from a withdrawing group is: 1) train them until the day of group withdrawal; 2) Transfer the best trained pilots to reserve; 3) then withdraw the group. Or do I want to transfer all pilots to reserve and then withdraw the group. My assumption is that no pilots are required to be on hand for the group's withdrawal.

Yes, it used to be not allowed to strip the pilots from groups that were scheduled to withdraw or disband but now you can and should do so. To be safe, I strip them out of all of them. They go to reserve and that is want you want anyways.

[Jim Stevens]

ORIGINAL: jmalter

When you view any air-group, at the bottomleft is a yellow 'Pilots' text, click on that to show the group's pilots.

in this screen at the bottomcenter is yellow text that you can click on to change between 'Group' or 'Reserve'.

at the bottomleft are 1/5/10 buttons, you can send that number of pilots to 'Group' (retained in the air-group for rest) or 'Reserve' (sent to the pool & available to other air-groups).

Once pilots are sent to 'Reserve', any other group can grab them, if they've got a need for more pilots. If a group is full of pilots, you can send all of them to 'Reserve' - removing all pilots from the group (sometimes one pilot is RED, that's the leader).

Then you look at this air-group, at the middle-left is a 'Get Pilots' button, 1st you click on the yellow-text will change from 'Any / Replacement / Reserve / TRACOM', so that it shows 'Reserve'.

Now when you click the 'Get Veterans' button, you can re-staff your air-group w/ pilots in your Reserve pool.

Learning how to move pilots is essential to keeping your airforces on the up-and-up. best wishes!

Thanks! I will start managing pilots asap...

[diamond dave]

I would not wait until group withdrawal before releasing the pilots to reserve. I usually go through my training groups about once a month and send to reserve anyone that's trained up into the 60's or so in their respective specialties (air-to-air, naval bombing, scout, etc) and then put in more replacement pilots to be trained. If I'm facing pilot shortages for a particular type in any service, I may release them with xp levels down to 50, but I never go any lower than that.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you can train Navy carrier pilots using land-based floatplanes and PBY's (the latter particularly for Navy torpedo pilots). This is invaluable early in the war to make up for carrier air losses without having to use ill-trained replacements, a sure way for them to die, and often the carrier with them. About mid-1943 some land-based navy squadrons and CVE-based VRF squadrons start showing up, and you can then use them for training duties.

[Lokasenna]

If I'm not short on pilots, I don't release to general reserve until 55+ Exp and 70+ major skill(s).

If I'm short on pilots, I lower that to just 50+ Exp and 70+ major skill(s). I don't ever put somebody with skill level in the 60s into a front line unit unless their Exp is also in the 60s.

[Jim Stevens]

Thanks guys.

You know, I don't know how many times I have been playing or talking here about WitP AE when I have just stopped and thought, "what a flipping awesome game this is!" Thanks again to all those involved in making such an amazing simulation. My hat's off to you guys... [&o]

[LoBaron]

ORIGINAL: jmalter
at the bottomleft are 1/5/10 buttons, you can send that number of pilots to 'Group' (retained in the air-group for rest) or 'Reserve' (sent to the pool & available to other air-groups).

Once pilots are sent to 'Reserve', any other group can grab them, if they've got a need for more pilots.

Setting pilots to 'Group' already enables other groups to transfer them to. (by selecting 'get veteran pilot' and stting the filter to 'group reserve/all groups')

It sometimes makes pilot management easier to use group reserve over general reserve. If you transfer pilots from a training group to an advanced training group for example. Or pilots from a specific training group to combat groups. Best is, it avoids the mess usually present in general reserve after a couple of years. [;)]

[Kadrin]

Thought I'd use this thread for my question since it's also about pilots.

On the pilot experience screen, in the squadrons themselves, green numbers are increases from the previous turn, correct? Also, what are orange numbers?

[HexHead]

Green is an increase in that category the last day; orange is within the last month, I believe.

[kaleun]

I think orange is the last two or three days, I believe.

[LoBaron]

Green is skill improvement the last turn, orange within the current month.