Idiots Guide to Training Japanese Pilots?

[LoBaron]

Absolutely. Without at least local air superiority it does not make sense to use fighters as anything else than as fighters...

[Boomer Redleg]

There's a cost to training pilots in HI - 5 points per month. But as Japan you are also supposed to save HI for later in the war - right? Is there a sweet spot for how many pilots you should be training during the war?

[rustysi]

OK, correct me if I'm wrong (please!!!). It was my understanding that the 5 point HI assessment each month was for pilots in the 1-12 month training pool. Something the Japanese player would have no control over other than to have a number of TRACOM pilots in the pools to speed up said training? Also that assigning groups to training (in the field) uses 1/3 a supply point per a/c?[&:]

[nashvillen]

The HI expense is in the basic course of 1-12 months. Further training in actual units is free from HI costs directly.

Also, I believe if you have the training squadrons located with the HQ they are assigned to helps in development.

[Coach Zuck]

WOW!!
Thanks for ALL the Help!
Going to drain a few decent Fighter units in Japan & Manchuko to build a decent reserve and tunr those units in to Training Unts 100% Training (Escort) @ 5k.
Going to do the same with an IJN bomber & IJA Bomber….except they'll be @ 100% Grnd or Naval!

Going to find a couple of "80" rated Fighter pilots at least 1 IJA & 1 IJN on day one for TRACOM!

[PaxMondo]

IJA training units are pretty easy ... it's finding IJN training units ... and you have to find them or you will be short of IJN pilots which will cripple the KB.

Good Luck!

[Coach Zuck]

True Pax…. haven't found an IJN Bomber pilot/crew that I can put in TRACOM.
Is there a limit to the # of pilots you can put in TRACOM?

So much to do on turn One…thought I was done @ 2 AM EST yesterday…...still more to do!

[nashvillen]

You will have to rotate your 81+ experience pilots out, I check once a month or so for my front line units. For Japan having 80+ experience pilots in your front line units, including carriers is nice, they are more effective, economically, moving pilots through the HI expensive months 1-12 of your pilot training pool.

Also, towards the end, do feel bad about pulling pilots out of months 1-12 early to put in second line units or rebuilt carrier units on the home islands to save on HI! They will train just as well, but not cost the 5 HI per month per pilot. A pilot that takes a full 12 months to go through training will drain you 60 HI for the year. That may not sound like much, but when the pilot training numbers go up in 43, I believe, you will jump to 75k HI per month in pilot costs very quickly if you don't do something about it.

Also, watch your training units, once a pilot gets to the deployable levels, pull them into the reserve and put a trainee into that slot, it will save you the 5 HI per month!

Look at your training units periodically. I do fighters on the 1st and all else on the 15th. Us your air unit screen to sort through the training units and look at the average exp. Once they get to near 50 you should look at graduating the class and refilling the unit with fresh pilots.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Boomer Redleg

There's a cost to training pilots in HI - 5 points per month. But as Japan you are also supposed to save HI for later in the war - right? Is there a sweet spot for how many pilots you should be training during the war?

If I am not mistaking, you have no control over this because it is not the pilots in your pools but the pilots that the computer has in your training Que. This is why scenario 2 can be so hard for a Japanese player. There are so many extra pilots in the training Que that it just sucks the HI right out of the Japanese economy.

[offenseman]

Do not underestimate the value of defensive skill. It is great to have good air skill but the first time you get bounced and the pilot cannot maneuver well defensively, all that other training can go to waste in a hurry. I aim for 70+ in the primary attribute when training seems to come to a halt, such as air for fighters or ground for LBs, and when they hit 68-70, graduate the pilots who have also become 60+ in defensive skills. If they have not, I will cross train into another area they have not mastered such as low ground, or naval. While that skill new skill builds skill, it also builds defensive exp as well. This is takes more time obviously but graduates better pilots who can often survive longer.

[rustysi]

ORIGINAL: Coach Zuck

True Pax…. haven't found an IJN Bomber pilot/crew that I can put in TRACOM.
Is there a limit to the # of pilots you can put in TRACOM?

So much to do on turn One…thought I was done @ 2 AM EST yesterday…...still more to do!

First, let me just say welcome to the club. Like so many others have said here you don't have to do it all in one turn. Its a long game. As for the TRACOM AFAIK therer's no limit to the # of pilots you can put there. It won't be that many though because you just won't have them. Although you may want a number of bomber pilots there it doesn't matter what skill they possess they will still assist in advancing training. What does matter is that they work in groups of 10. So you need 10 IJA pilots and/or 10 IJN pilots before they start advancing training in their string (ie. army or navy). Have fun.[:D]

[rustysi]

ORIGINAL: PaxMondo

IJA training units are pretty easy ... it's finding IJN training units ... and you have to find them or you will be short of IJN pilots which will cripple the KB.

Good Luck!

Yeah, what Pax said. I don't know how others feel or play but this makes the Manchukuo garrison units very handy for the IJA (training). It does skew history as there's more emphasis on the IJA. They didn't usually support IJN operations wholeheartedly. IJN is another story. Keep in mind that you can use your CS's to resize floatplane units and these can be used to help. They can train sweep missions (alt 100', range 0) and this will at least boost strafe and defense. It'll give some air and exp too. Also they're useful for bomber missions as well. AND DON'T FORGET ASW!!!

[Numdydar]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

ORIGINAL: Boomer Redleg

There's a cost to training pilots in HI - 5 points per month. But as Japan you are also supposed to save HI for later in the war - right? Is there a sweet spot for how many pilots you should be training during the war?

If I am not mistaking, you have no control over this because it is not the pilots in your pools but the pilots that the computer has in your training Que. This is why scenario 2 can be so hard for a Japanese player. There are so many extra pilots in the training Que that it just sucks the HI right out of the Japanese economy.

This is corect.

Their are two completely seperate pilot pools. Only one of which you have control over which is the one that contain pilots that have completed thier 12 month training process. These are the pilots that you will draw from for replacements and that you assign to training Squadrons on the map. When you run out of these, you will start pulling out pilots that have not completed their 12 month training cycle when you request replacements. Which means that their training levels will be even worse [:(]

If this occurs, then your HI costs for pilots in the training process will be reduced. Of course this is not considered an optimum solution for reducing HI costs [:D]

[rustysi]

Why not? I don't expect to attain this, but I'd rather yank 'em trian 'em and put them in reserve.[:D] Do I have enough supply to do that?[8|]

[Coach Zuck]

OMG [X(]

So I need 10 IJA Pilots & 10 IJN pilots in TRACOM to get the benefits?
Is that 10 total or 10 fighter, bomber, each for IJA & IJN?

[rustysi]

Yes, 10 for the army, 10 for the navy. Type doesn't matter. Now if you want more guys accelerated you need increments of 10, so 20, 30... etc. Hey, listen its nice to have some highly trained pilots late in the war when Japan gets some better planes, and here's where you can hide them. Besides with few exceptions early in the war your gonna slaughter most allied a/c and you don't necessarily need aces to do that. Besides I just hate it when a rookie gets lucky and flames on of my 81+ guys (or FLAK takes them out).[:'(]

[Numdydar]

ORIGINAL: rustysi

Why not? I don't expect to attain this, but I'd rather yank 'em trian 'em and put them in reserve.[:D] Do I have enough supply to do that?[8|]

Becasuse their training level is so far below the ones that complete the full 12 months. So it will take even longer to train these up to acceptable levels than the ones that graduated properly. So you have even lower quality pilots that need space in your training squadrons. Otherwise all you will have is a bunch of cannon fodder that will improve Allied pilots skills even more [:(]

[nashvillen]

If you have built up a sufficient number of trained pilots in your reserves, this is a valid saving of HI. This is what I have done in my current game in September of 1945. I have sufficient pilots in my reserve pools and have stripped all the pilots I can cram into my numerous training only squadrons. I also have over 300 pilots with 80+ in the TRACOM just waiting for the final battles in my jets and Shindens! [:D]

I am preserving HI and still training pilots. Less and less of my initial training squadrons are being used as such as the training only squadrons are taking up that slack.