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Hello all. Apr 44 and have not really sortied the left overs of KB for a long while but I would like the air groups to be in tip top shape for the things to come.

Trying to get the fatigue levels of all the planes as close to none as possible. I know continuous ops at sea drive it up really well but have been trying to put the units at a base with plenty of supplies and support to A. train newbies up and B recover damage and fatigue to air frames.

A is working well, B not so good as I would like. Maybe because the land fighters/bombers either get shot down and eventually replaced with new air frames while the naval boys have been out of action for awhile but it seems like the carrier units stay stuck at 10-20's fatigue. And not flying for over 10 days.

Had them shipboard for 30 days plus with fatigue not going down as far as I would like so went the land base route. Anyway I may be just dreaming but does anyone think the air frames will ever go back to "like new"?

My other option of course is to upgrade the unit to really get new frames. This may require upgrading to older frame then back to new one. This may be my best bet but thought I would give a chance for discussion. Thanks for your comments/thoughts.

Thinking now fatigue never really does go down like damage, which can be repaired. Fatigue a reflection of hours flown? Still sure I remember resting units at sea and plane fatigue going down, just seems really slow at a base with more support.

Changing AC types at the base always helped repair all the new types faster than on board ship. May just train em some more till they almost fall apart in obsolete frames, then upgrade for sparkling new planes before deploying.

Don't they get stood down for maintenance when they reach a certain fatigue level, which will "repair" the fatigue down to 0 or close to it? Don't have the manual on me at the moment...

Yes, they get into Maintenance...but still beware, both pilot and aircraft fatigue increase the chance of Ops loss.

ORIGINAL: CapnGreasy

Thinking now fatigue never really does go down like damage, which can be repaired. Fatigue a reflection of hours flown? Still sure I remember resting units at sea and plane fatigue going down, just seems really slow at a base with more support.

Changing AC types at the base always helped repair all the new types faster than on board ship. May just train em some more till they almost fall apart in obsolete frames, then upgrade for sparkling new planes before deploying.

I think of damage as what front-line mechanics and sheet metal guys can fix day-to-day. The Fatigue tab shows deep, accumulated damage to the airframe and engine. To get rid of it the plane needs depot or IMA-level work. Tearing the engine down to the block and rebuiilding it sort of thing. Not the kind of repairs that could be done on carriers at sea. The game will let this happen, but it's slow, and it should be.

My experience is aircraft fatigue will go back to zero, or low single digits at least, but it can take a month or six weeks. Usually not worth that. I rest and knock fatigue down into the teens, then send them back up. Risky? Yes. So is not having planes.

As in so many cases, this decision is left up to the player. There's no right answer, and the answer might be different in 1945 than 1942.

Thanks for the replies. I think Bullwinkle put it best. I actually admire the game more thinking about it that way. At least I am sure my opponent has to put up with the same thing. Especially since those 4E beasties have to travel from further afar, at least for now.