Pilot Question

[Rogue188]

I'm sure this has been answered before, but I have two questions.

1. Why can't I move my 81 Exp pilot to TRACOM? He is in a P-40 squadron I moved from the Philippians to Darwin Australia, but all I can do is make him inactive in the group. I also changed the HQ to the South Pacific.

2. Pilot training. From what I recall, a pilot is considered to be "trained" once they reach Exp level 70. However, I have several squadrons training and many of them are getting near to a skill level of 70 in air, defense, ASW, etc. Should I consider them to be trained in that skill and move to a different skill, or wait for the pilot to reach an overall Exp of 70?

Bonus question. I have several PBY squadrons in Pearl Harbor with only one or two planes. Should I just disband a few of them to increase the number of available PBYs in the pool?

[Sardaukar]

Exp 50, Air 60-70, Def 60-70 and fighter pilots are good to go.

I am not even sure pilots can reach exp 70 by just training....at least it'd take looooong time.

[bigred]

I'm sure this has been answered before, but I have two questions.

1. Why can't I move my 81 Exp pilot to TRACOM? He is in a P-40 squadron I moved from the Philippians to Darwin Australia, but all I can do is make him inactive in the group. I also changed the HQ to the South Pacific.

2. Pilot training. From what I recall, a pilot is considered to be "trained" once they reach Exp level 70. However, I have several squadrons training and many of them are getting near to a skill level of 70 in air, defense, ASW, etc. Should I consider them to be trained in that skill and move to a different skill, or wait for the pilot to reach an overall Exp of 70?

Bonus question. I have several PBY squadrons in Pearl Harbor with only one or two planes. Should I just disband a few of them to increase the number of available PBYs in the pool?

1. Dont know.
2. I try to get 2 skills to 70 before I release to frontline units. FTR pilots i get air and straf. Bmr pilots i train level bomb and lownav at start. then as allies later in game i train bomber pilots lowbomb and bomb. torp pilots i train search and torp. dive bombers i train navbomb and asw. up to 70 in 2 types, then they ready. Search pilots i do recon and search. 2 or three b17 sqn i train search to help the allies early.
3. U can disband, but system will ask if permanant. answer is no. insure u can bring back the sqn later when u get more planes.

[joey]

1. Sometimes, I have to transfer them to 'reserve' and then to TC.

[RangerJoe]

I train torpedo planes in torpedo bombing and ASW. I train the naval dive bombers in Naval and Search.

I would keep the PBY units and have them train pilots. You will get more PBYs plus when the units are withdrawn you will then have the planes from that unit eventually make it into your pools.

I do train some B-17D and LB-30 units in Naval Search and ASW. The Hudsons/A-29s are also good for Naval Search as well as ASW.

[Platoonist]

1. Why can't I move my 81 Exp pilot to TRACOM? He is in a P-40 squadron I moved from the Philippians to Darwin Australia, but all I can do is make him inactive in the group. I also changed the HQ to the South Pacific.

Check to see if the P-40 squadron pilot roster is full with no current vacancies. If not, add a few rookies (replacements) and then you should be able to transfer out the experienced pilot.

[RangerJoe]

Try right clicking on the pilot's name.

[Sardaukar]

To addition to above RJ answer, check that pilot is not set ro retain in unit (shows as OFF in rightmost column).

[Chris21wen]

1. Why can't I move my 81 Exp pilot to TRACOM? He is in a P-40 squadron I moved from the Philippians to Darwin Australia, but all I can do is make him inactive in the group. I also changed the HQ to the South Pacific.

Check to see if the P-40 squadron pilot roster is full with no current vacancies. If not, add a few rookies (replacements) and then you should be able to transfer out the experienced pilot.

You have 'Retain' on I suspect. If his rank is red then it is.

Confirm his hame is in yellow.

[Chris21wen]

Exp 50, Air 60-70, Def 60-70 and fighter pilots are good to go.

I am not even sure pilots can reach exp 70 by just training....at least it'd take looooong time.

What Sardaukar said.

Exp training is very slow compared to skill training and the higher it gets the slower it get. You can train exp to and above 70 but being very,very, very slow at those high level your unlikely to see it. Flying mission is the way to go for exp gain above 50. Here's a rare example, and before anybody suggest, it's been training for nine days after an ac model change.

You cannot train skills above 70 but like exp they slow down the higher they are, with one exp. You can train Def above 70.

Capture.JPG (29.97 KiB) Viewed 1111 times

[Rogue188]

I can confirm his name was yellow and retain was not on. However, I guess my game heard about my post because I was finally able to get him to TRACOM. I'm uncertain as to what changed. Perhaps is was having more pilots in the squardon.

[Sardaukar]

BTW, don't neglect to train your carrier DB/TB with Naval Search when at port. It certainly helps with detection and target detection level.

[Nezlezar]

BTW, don't neglect to train your carrier DB/TB with Naval Search when at port. It certainly helps with detection and target detection level.

If the DBs have high NavB and NavS, but the TBs only have high NavT (low NavS), would the TBs be able to 'follow' the DBs to the target if the strike is coordinated? As in, do the TBs require NavS if their mission is just Naval Attack and no search orders?

On a carrier with 2 DBs squadrons and 1 TB, if the DBs are Naval Attack with 20% search patrol level...is it ok to just leave the TBs to Naval Attack only with no search patrol level set?

[RangerJoe]

BTW, don't neglect to train your carrier DB/TB with Naval Search when at port. It certainly helps with detection and target detection level.

If the DBs have high NavB and NavS, but the TBs only have high NavT (low NavS), would the TBs be able to 'follow' the DBs to the target if the strike is coordinated? As in, do the TBs require NavS if their mission is just Naval Attack and no search orders?

On a carrier with 2 DBs squadrons and 1 TB, if the DBs are Naval Attack with 20% search patrol level...is it ok to just leave the TBs to Naval Attack only with no search patrol level set?

Coordination is something else, the units don't follow one after another.

Yes, but I usually put the VS squadron on 50% Naval Search.

[Sardaukar]

If I happen to have CVL(s) in CV TF later in war, I have their VT squadrons 50% search. Otherwise both TB and DB units are 20% search all.

[Rogue188]

Thanks for the info!

[Chris21wen]

BTW, don't neglect to train your carrier DB/TB with Naval Search when at port. It certainly helps with detection and target detection level.

If the DBs have high NavB and NavS, but the TBs only have high NavT (low NavS), would the TBs be able to 'follow' the DBs to the target if the strike is coordinated? As in, do the TBs require NavS if their mission is just Naval Attack and no search orders?

On a carrier with 2 DBs squadrons and 1 TB, if the DBs are Naval Attack with 20% search patrol level...is it ok to just leave the TBs to Naval Attack only with no search patrol level set?

In regards ti naval attack, plane with difference attack profiles do not coordinate they attacks. How well coordinated they are depends on year see page 24 here https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 3&t=396274.

They can fly to the target together provided they have the same height but attack separately. DB appoach alt is 0-15K releasing 1-3K, any other approach alt results in level bombing. TB approach can be anything but release at 200ft.

[RangerJoe]

BTW, don't neglect to train your carrier DB/TB with Naval Search when at port. It certainly helps with detection and target detection level.

If the DBs have high NavB and NavS, but the TBs only have high NavT (low NavS), would the TBs be able to 'follow' the DBs to the target if the strike is coordinated? As in, do the TBs require NavS if their mission is just Naval Attack and no search orders?

On a carrier with 2 DBs squadrons and 1 TB, if the DBs are Naval Attack with 20% search patrol level...is it ok to just leave the TBs to Naval Attack only with no search patrol level set?

In regards ti naval attack, plane with difference attack profiles do not coordinate they attacks. How well coordinated they are depends on year see page 24 here https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 3&t=396274.

They can fly to the target together provided they have the same height but attack separately. DB appoach alt is 0-15K releasing 1-3K, any other approach alt results in level bombing. TB approach can be anything but release at 200ft.

A slight typo there, DBs divebomb from 10-15k.

What you really want to learn about is strike coordination from aircraft carrier task forces.

[Arkham]

If the DBs have high NavB and NavS, but the TBs only have high NavT (low NavS), would the TBs be able to 'follow' the DBs to the target if the strike is coordinated? As in, do the TBs require NavS if their mission is just Naval Attack and no search orders?

On a carrier with 2 DBs squadrons and 1 TB, if the DBs are Naval Attack with 20% search patrol level...is it ok to just leave the TBs to Naval Attack only with no search patrol level set?

In regards ti naval attack, plane with difference attack profiles do not coordinate they attacks. How well coordinated they are depends on year see page 24 here https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 3&t=396274.

They can fly to the target together provided they have the same height but attack separately. DB appoach alt is 0-15K releasing 1-3K, any other approach alt results in level bombing. TB approach can be anything but release at 200ft.

A slight typo there, DBs divebomb from 10-15k.

What you really want to learn about is strike coordination from aircraft carrier task forces.

TB's also suffer from US torpedo dud rates, though not as bad as submarines. If you look at the weapon data in the WiTP tracker you see they have (IIRC) a 50 percent dud rate. Not great. I typically train my TBs in ASW and NS early in the war and hardly use them in the torpedo role. When I do I send them in at 5000 feet while the DB's will go in at 14,000.

[Sardaukar]

TB's also suffer from US torpedo dud rates, though not as bad as submarines. If you look at the weapon data in the WiTP tracker you see they have (IIRC) a 50 percent dud rate. Not great. I typically train my TBs in ASW and NS early in the war and hardly use them in the torpedo role. When I do I send them in at 5000 feet while the DB's will go in at 14,000.

Thing is, DBs can rarely sink BBs, so you need those DBs when envountering BB TF. Fire will sometimes do it, but ideally, you need TBs to put holes into hulls.