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how can i see the range of a/c that at at their base?

i have the 'total airborne range' checked in the range circles

OK, first you want to set your A/C range circles to airborne mission radius. This will let you see graphically an approximate distance the planes can go when launched. This will change with different speed settings, basically the faster you go, the shorter the range.

Also, you can use the ready aircraft menu to view the range in Nautical Miles. You have to actually pick the a/c type and click ready. You can cancel out after you view all the ranges of any possible loadout. These ranges are the total onboard range, so to find the actual distance you can travel until you hit bingo fuel (the point where you need to return to base), you need to divide the mission range in half and multiply by about 90%.

Keep in mind that this range is only good if you maintain cruise speed, if you speed up or loiter at any point, it will affect your range. Also, a tanker can extend the range far beyond its onboard Bingo capability, so sending up a tanker to refuel can be a very usefull function.

To figure if a plane has enough gas to make it to a target at cruise speed, go into the Misc > Calc range and bearing from the launching base and choose the target base, which will give you the range from point A to point B as a straight line. If this range is less than your figured bingo range from above, the planes have the range to make it to the target.

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Also, launching multiple planes in a formation can cause increasingly large usage of fuel, as (at least in my view) the game counts the plane with the lowest fuel in the formation (to avoid planes crashing) and loitoring over an airfield waiting for 20/30 of your mates to take off can cost a tactically significant amount of fuel, especially on long range ferry or strike missions.

You can launch aircraft in groups of the same type of aircraft, and join them together in a larger package afterward, but I don't often do this. You're limited by the speed of the slowest aircraft, and just don't get the flexibility of several smaller groups organized by type and/or combat role. Comes down to a matter of preference, I suppose.