Planes don't fly from atolls

[SaintEx]

Playing the allies against the AI, I see that my land-based air on captured atolls sometimes doesn't fly in any situation. Notably, Baker island and Marcus. I captured both and built up the airbases (and ports) to level 2, with ample supply and air support and decent leaders. PAs seem to be flying but fighters and DBs never do. This is not the case for Tabiteuea and Makin.

Any ideas?

[RangerJoe]

Weather? Both there and over any targets? What is the range setting for your air units? What are the commanders like? Is there any air opposition? Are there any targets?

[Admiral DadMan]

Over-stacked maybe?

[BBfanboy]

Screenshots of the air units and the base support units would help too. You may have the wrong settings on your fighter squadrons.

[Richard III]

ORIGINAL: SaintEx

Playing the allies against the AI, I see that my land-based air on captured atolls sometimes doesn't fly in any situation. Notably, Baker island and Marcus. I captured both and built up the airbases (and ports) to level 2, with ample supply and air support and decent leaders. PAs seem to be flying but fighters and DBs never do. This is not the case for Tabiteuea and Makin.

Any ideas?

It`s possible they are out of Command Range, which I believe to be 6 hexs.

[Ambassador]

ORIGINAL: SaintEx

Playing the allies against the AI, I see that my land-based air on captured atolls sometimes doesn't fly in any situation. Notably, Baker island and Marcus. I captured both and built up the airbases (and ports) to level 2, with ample supply and air support and decent leaders. PAs seem to be flying but fighters and DBs never do. This is not the case for Tabiteuea and Makin.

Any ideas?

i
Screenshots would indeed be useful, but more importantly, where do you want them to fly ? Meaning : do you have targets in range ? Fighters and dive bombers don’t have great ranges, and (I don’t have the map under my eyes) I don’t think they are in range of other islands, at least not for Wildcats/Hellcats/Dauntlesses/Helldivers.
So, if you want them to attack enemy ships, first do you have enough search planes to spot the targets ?

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: SaintEx
sometimes doesn't fly in any situation

This is kind of self-contradicting, no?

What are the situations when they sometimes fly? There are lots of factors except the presence of airgroup that determine if it flies or not. Atoll terrain is not among them

[rustysi]

It`s possible they are out of Command Range, which I believe to be 6 hexs.

[&:] No such thing in the game.

[SaintEx]

Thanks all.

Please see the screenshot. I realize in fact that Marcus is only at level 1, but planes should still fly. Anyway, you can see I have PBYs flying search and SBDs and PB2Ys flying naval (with corsairs standing down until something nasty shows up). Baker is kind of a backwater now, but I had a similar setup there a few months ago and a similar result. My main gripe is that the land based bombers set to naval never attack (the SBDs in this case) whereas the Coronados go after everything they can (obviously, I know well that they have a greater range, but that's the case even when the targets are within SBD range). Likewise, whenever I have had fighters on CAP on either base they never flew to intercept. The leader ratings on the SBD squadron and the PB2Y squadrons are similar, although admittedly, the Coronado leader has an aggression of 67 whereas the SBD leader is only at 52.

[Alfred]

Notwithstanding your assertion, the rules are very specific and clear. Read s.7.2.1.1 and s.7.2.1.13.1 of the manual. Offensive missions cannot be flown from a level 1 airfield.

Alfred

[SaintEx]

Damn, I've played the game many times and still forgot that. Interesting, though - float planes are not bound by this evidently. Do you know if that's only if there's a tender in the base (there is in this case)? It also doesn't explain why I'm not flying CAP, but it may be that the base radar wasn't fully unloaded when the raids came just after the invasions (I find that radar often takes a while to unload over the beach, if it works at all).

[Alfred]

You are way over thinking the issue. Just reread tho relevant parts of the manual.

The relevant manual sections do not speak of aircraft types, only of mission types. A float plane type is covered by exactly the same rules which apply to a fighter or dive bomber type. These rules do not mention at all tenders, hence tenders are irrelevant as far as the application of the level 1 airfield rules.

CAP is not a mission. In any event it is irrelevant as CAP is not mentioned either as an offensive mission or one of the missions which specifically are excluded from bering flown from a level 1 airfield. Nor is the ability to put up CAP dependent on the presence of radar.

Be careful when internally processing advice posted in the forum. There is a lot of very inaccurate, often just completely wrong, commentary which is posted. It takes effort and time to prepare accurate answers. Some posters don't care about accuracy, they only care about achieving high post numbers.

Alfred

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: SaintEx

Damn, I've played the game many times and still forgot that. Interesting, though - float planes are not bound by this evidently. Do you know if that's only if there's a tender in the base (there is in this case)? It also doesn't explain why I'm not flying CAP, but it may be that the base radar wasn't fully unloaded when the raids came just after the invasions (I find that radar often takes a while to unload over the beach, if it works at all).

Please don't use the term float plane for Catalina and Coronado flying boats. The latter have no floats (pontoons) and the game uses FP to mean aircraft that have pontoons. Flying boats are called Patrol aircraft. Collectively, you can call them all seaplanes if they can take off from water.

Taking off from water is also the reason they are exempt from the level 1 airfield rule - they have unlimited distance for takeoff and no weight restrictions from the water.

[SaintEx]

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. My remark with respect to CAP was simply that they might not be flying because the incoming raids (which admittedly have not been numerous) might not have been detected in time without radar. The FP (or PA in this case) remark was because the PB2Ys are most definitely flying offensive missions even though it's a L1 base. I assume that this is because the presence of the tender makes the base size irrelevant... and I see that BBFanboy has confirmed this. thanks.

[BBfanboy]

ORIGINAL: SaintEx

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. My remark with respect to CAP was simply that they might not be flying because the incoming raids (which admittedly have not been numerous) might not have been detected in time without radar. The FP (or PA in this case) remark was because the PB2Ys are most definitely flying offensive missions even though it's a L1 base. I assume that this is because the presence of the tender makes the base size irrelevant... and I see that BBFanboy has confirmed this. thanks.

I didn't mention tenders either - just water for runways. If there were no tenders, air support from the base would take care of seaplane repairs and weapon loading (if there is enough of it). The tender takes some of the servicing load off the base force.

[Alfred]

Again you are over thinking.

There is a very simple reason why you have no CAP flying at Marcus. You haven't set any. The fighter unit is set to train. That the level set is zero discloses you have ordered it to stand down and not do any flying at all.

Alfred

[RangerJoe]

The tenders provide air support just like some of the ground units such as the base forces and the Air HQs. But the tenders will only provide the aviation support for the float planes and the flying boats.

[Yaab]

" Planes don't fly from atolls!"
" See? A tolld you so!"

[GetAssista]

ORIGINAL: Yaab

" Planes don't fly from atolls!"
" See? A tolld you so!"

A toll should be paid. No toll - no fly

[alimentary]

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

ORIGINAL: Yaab

" Planes don't fly from atolls!"
" See? A tolld you so!"

A toll should be paid. No toll - no fly

Beam them onto the Klingon cruiser...

where they'll be no tribble atoll.