Why the poor allied pilots in the beginning of the war?

[JohnDillworth]

The solution is fairly straight forward though - firstly draw some extra pilots inot the group with the 'get pilot button'. Once you have more pilots than the usual maximum you will be able to choose which to transfer to the reserves. As an example - most groups of US army fighters have a size of 25, but can have extra pilots put into them up to 33. If at 25 (and due for withdrawl at some point) you will not be able to trnsfer pilots to the reserve pool. If you draw 8 pilots (now at 33) you can then remove 8 others to the reserve pool.

Hope that helps.

best tip of the day. I am slowly getting some 50-60 level pilots back

[xj900uk]

What you can do though for a squadron (or Sentai) about to be withdrawn or compulsory disbanded, is to put said pilot into the 'Group Reserve'. Then (in theory) another squadron when getting a veteran should still be able to see this pilot from the first squadron who is now in that groups reserve and so t'fer him into the 2nd squadron.
BTW there was a bug that when you tried to do this just t'fered the pilot straight into TRAICOM regardless of his ability but the latest patch seesm to have fixed this

[SuluSea]

I enjoy pilot training [:)], the best thing to do is take in all the tips and streamline it into a system that works for you. My training is labor intensive as I have three categories that pilots see depending if they are in frontline, intermediate or dedicated training squadrons. I don't mind taking the time to move pilots because I believe the fruits of labor pay off.
 
 
 
 
 

[JohnDillworth]

I enjoy pilot training , the best thing to do is take in all the tips and streamline it into a system that works for you. My training is labor intensive as I have three categories that pilots see depending if they are in frontline, intermediate or dedicated training squadrons. I don't mind taking the time to move pilots because I believe the fruits of labor pay off.

What percentage do you set your training at? At what skill level do you remove a pilot from training?
thanks

[Sardaukar]

My approach to training (but I play Allies vs AI exclusively...) is all or nothing. [:'(] That means 100% Training. I use restricted WC squadrons as Training squadrons to provide US Army with reserve pilots. Pilot gets sent to General Reserve when he is 50 exp, and 60-70 in applicable skill AND defense.
 
Latter is absolutely vital for surviving bounces etc. and one main reason why anyone should use training mission in all units not in immediate combat. For example, having unit flying CAP usually only gets Exp and Air-skill up without combat. So I'd recommend couple of weeks of Training 100% just to up the Defensive skill.

[SuluSea]

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

I enjoy pilot training , the best thing to do is take in all the tips and streamline it into a system that works for you. My training is labor intensive as I have three categories that pilots see depending if they are in frontline, intermediate or dedicated training squadrons. I don't mind taking the time to move pilots because I believe the fruits of labor pay off.

What percentage do you set your training at? At what skill level do you remove a pilot from training?
thanks

What percentage do you set your training at?

It all depends on where the unit is located. The East Coast US and Canada all gets 100% because they'll build up no fatigue, I also move some FP units there and set up some training for naval airmen with fighting and bombing skills. Units near March Field and SF do well with fatigue also so they will be at 100% at whatever skill I'm aiming for my percentages for training units will usually be 70%-30% rest but will adjust up depending on the leader ,HQ and fatigue. As mentioned earlier range is at zero for all training units and one PBY group is dedicated torpedo bomber trainers. pearl is were I do some training and some capping, I think it may be of use to train fighters at 100 ft/general training in areas the enemy might pop up because they may be low enough not to engage depending on sweepers altitude(not positive on this yet)

At what skill level do you remove a pilot from training?

My goal by the summer of 42 for fighters is this-

Frontline fighter groups minimum, which are units that I expect to be seeing action almost daily- 60 exp/ 70 air skill/ 60 defense

Intermediate groups which are groups out of range of enemy fighters for the majority of the groups my goal is 50 exp/ 65 air skill/ 55 defense I'll make tradeoffs in all but defense on this because capping will raise air and exp numbers moreso than the occasional defense bump. Some of these groups will be used at Pearl and the South Pacific out of neccessity but as the summer carrys on defense should be around 60 for most of these and they will get air skill and exp. bumps from capping when shipping is docked. I've been using general training or escort at 100 feet when I use these groups at the same bases as more experienced groups in hopes they don't get caught up in any enemy sweeps of the base will be high enough they don't get seen.

My game is in the summer of 42 and is a constant evolving proceess with my best fighter jocks being moved to the front, I'm swimming in pilots so although I've moved some fighter pilots to TRACOM they are now out and being used in training groups or on the front.

My Bombers I shoot for 50/70/60 defense and have gotten as much as 5 daily bumps to pilots on defense skills set at 100 feet at general training once the 70 skill threshold at whatever skill I'm shooting for is reached, my bombers usually train at height needed for their skills however.

My game is against the AI but I think the Gary Player axiom "the more I practice the luckier I get" fits the training program well, the more effort goes into it the more rewards you'll reap from it.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Sardaukar

You need more pilots than a/c in unit to be able to transfer pilots to general reserve. If you have for example 25 planes and 25 pilots, 2 left clicks on pilot just makes him first inactive in group reserve and then active again. For example, for restricted units on West Coast, I set replacement source "Replacement" and fill up to max with 30 exp pilots. Then I send all 50+ pilots to general reserve by 2 left clicks. Often I have to refill with rookies again, to get all experienced guys out.

This is only true for units that are restricted (cannot change HQ) and units that are due to be withdrawn or disbanded sometime in the future. Other units that don't fall into these two catagories can be totally stripped of any number of pilots and refilled.

I think the intent was to prevent the stripping of all the good pilots from a unit that had to be pulled out. But of course, you mentioned the work around of just overfilling the restricted unit and then deleting enough good pilots out until you can't again then overfill it again and repeat until you have pulled all of the good pilots out. So it does not matter, just a little more work.

[JohnDillworth]

Crap, I am at the end of January 42 and Tracker says my Army pilots average 48. I got a long way to go

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: JohnDillworth

Crap, I am at the end of January 42 and Tracker says my Army pilots average 48. I got a long way to go

I'm still in the first week of a new capmpaign, and this thread has inspired me to try some pilot training. I don't think I'll micro it all the way through, but I'm finding it pretty easy (if a click-fest) to max out each unit, strip away the 60+ guys for front-line draws from the General Reserve, and re-max with nuggets. I've gotten probably 800 guys out of the barracks and into the air on the WC and PH and Oz, even if not every one has his own plane yet.

In my first game I had not really looked at the pilots' stats very closely early on, as I was trying to understand the game overall, but I'm shocked at how BAD they are on average. (CR, you listening?[:)]) Lots and lots of guys in the 25 EXP range--just horrible.

The learning about having to left-click twice on the same guy to get him into the GR was the key for me. I had not attended to that when the training system changed in that patch.

[crsutton]

John,
 
Don't worry it is a problem for every allied player. You just are going to be short of good pilots for some time-especially if your opponent pushes you hard. Not enough planes, not enough training.
 
The real problem is Navy pilots especially fighters and torpedo. There are no shore based units to train these pilots until you get your first CVEs in late 42 and if you have some serious carrier fights, you are going to be hurting.
 
Use your kingfisher squadrons for training. You can train the for naval attack for your SBDs but also make sure you are training some for search and ASW as you will start to get lots of great navy patrol planes in early 43 and will need "patrol" pilots in the pool.
 
As for your Avengers, the only way to train pilots for torpedo bombing is to use a few catalina squadrons. Set them to train at 5000 feet and below and the cat pilots will train up in topedo skills. It is hard to pull scarce and valuable cats out of the line to train pilots but it is the only way to train avenger pilots until you get some VR squadrons later on.
 
As for Navy fighters you are just going to have to "man up" and be careful. When your carriers are in port and away from danger slip a few green pilots on board and train 100% for escort.
 
Late 42 and I got enough army pilots and marine but just barely enough navy. Australian and NZ pilots are thin but the Brits are OK. Best starting pilots are the British.

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: crsutton

Best starting pilots are the British.

I went through unit after unit in the first week, and the Brits would have one uber-super-star at 72 or something (one!) surrounded by midgets in the 40s. What's up with that?

[JohnDillworth]

good tip on the Navy pilots. In January 42 the only thing I am swaeting in Army figher pilots. Good to know to plan for the future. So the kingfishers go to naval attack? Won't they then show up in the recon/patrol pool? Short of Ctalina's to. Heck, it's January 42, I'm short of everything; pilots, fighters, engineers, fuel, airbases,destroyers, escorts, good ASW, time, experience, mines, B-17's, Australian Divisions, AE's. AR's, level 7 bases...........................
thanks

[witpqs]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: crsutton

Best starting pilots are the British.

I went through unit after unit in the first week, and the Brits would have one uber-super-star at 72 or something (one!) surrounded by midgets in the 40s. What's up with that?

IIRC their fighter and bomber groups that come in mostly have seasoned veterans. Maybe the guys in SEA at start ain't so hot.

[SuluSea]

Yes, when you pull a pilot out of the patrol squadons he will be listed patrol in the pilot pool, the pilots that are trained up will be easy to spot.
 
FWIW I have one FP group training fighter pilots, two FP groups training naval bombing, one PBY group training torpedo bombing and the rest training naval search, ASW . The heavily damaged ships with float planes that will be getting repaired for awhile should have some better trained pilots to help with filling out PBYs and assist in ops losses so you might as well get them on 12/8.
 
 

[TheElf]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: crsutton

Best starting pilots are the British.

I went through unit after unit in the first week, and the Brits would have one uber-super-star at 72 or something (one!) surrounded by midgets in the 40s. What's up with that?

The war in the east was not Churchill's first priority. That is reflected in the pilot training at game start and MANY other places in the OoB. One of the main reasons the ABDA got their hat's handed to them...

[xj900uk]

Best starting pilots are the British

Well my British Hurricane pilots have been doing very well over Rangoon - quite a few are almost up to double figures and are leading the 'top pilots table (only the AVG has been keeping up). And that's against escorted IJAAF bombers (usually Oscars but also Nates and the odd Zero Sentai).
Far better than my USN and PI-based pilots that have largely been shot out of the sky by a handful of Zero's...
And don't get me started on the Dutch... [:@]
Funnily enough I paid some PP's and sent a Canadian Kittyhawk half- squadron all the way down to Port Morseby (which is a Commonwealth op) - they have been action for a week and shot down at least a dozen IJN planes - only trouble is that they only have 2 planes left out of their original 6 and have been retired to Sydney to watch some cricket... Put one of the short-term USAAF P40 squadrons of 25 planes in as a replacement - they are now down to 3 operational planes and about a dozen or so pilots (Zero's have been making mincemeat of them)

[Nikademus]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: crsutton

Best starting pilots are the British.

I went through unit after unit in the first week, and the Brits would have one uber-super-star at 72 or something (one!) surrounded by midgets in the 40s. What's up with that?

"Apart from some Vildebeest and Blenheim crews, a large preportion of the British Commonwealth aircrew were direct from wartime flying training programme; most were young and low on flying hours. The one advantage the RAF enjoyed over the other friendly airforces in the area was its very thin leavening of personel who had gained some combat experience, albeit under very different conditions and against a different foe. In the six months up to December 1941 manpower of RAF Far East Command was doubled, but as almost all additional personnel were direct from training establishments, by December three quarters of the men were new to Malaya."

Christopher Shores: Bloody Shambles Vol 1

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: TheElf

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: crsutton

Best starting pilots are the British.

I went through unit after unit in the first week, and the Brits would have one uber-super-star at 72 or something (one!) surrounded by midgets in the 40s. What's up with that?

The war in the east was not Churchill's first priority. That is reflected in the pilot training at game start and MANY other places in the OoB. One of the main reasons the ABDA got their hat's handed to them...

Hey, Elf.

I wasn't really wondering why so many guys are in the 40s as much as why ONE guy is a superman and he didn't share the wealth of his knowledge. It's fine as far as the OOB goes; I just pulled the supermen out to use another day in better aircraft. It was just, maybe, a little humorous. I got a picture of the superman at the bar drinking pints while his mates sweated over flight manuals.

[Bullwinkle58]

ORIGINAL: Nikademus

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: crsutton

Best starting pilots are the British.

I went through unit after unit in the first week, and the Brits would have one uber-super-star at 72 or something (one!) surrounded by midgets in the 40s. What's up with that?

"Apart from some Vildebeest and Blenheim crews, a large preportion of the British Commonwealth aircrew were direct from wartime flying training programme; most were young and low on flying hours. The one advantage the RAF enjoyed over the other friendly airforces in the area was its very thin leavening of personel who had gained some combat experience, albeit under very different conditions and against a different foe. In the six months up to December 1941 manpower of RAF Far East Command was doubled, but as almost all additional personnel were direct from training establishments, by December three quarters of the men were new to Malaya."

Christopher Shores: Bloody Shambles Vol 1

Excellent learning. Thank you. The OOB devs come through again.

[crsutton]

ORIGINAL: Bullwinkle58

ORIGINAL: crsutton

Best starting pilots are the British.

I went through unit after unit in the first week, and the Brits would have one uber-super-star at 72 or something (one!) surrounded by midgets in the 40s. What's up with that?

I did not see that. Admittedly we are talking about games started almost a year ago but I seem to recall that my British units came on filled with very decent pilots. Some squadron leaders over 80 in A to A and their bomber pilots always were better than American pilots. Seemed like this was the case through the first six months of the war. Sigh, if they only had decent aircraft. Too many are dead now....[:(]