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I am now getting to the stage (mid 1943) where really good planes are coming forward, ie Hellcats etc. That means I am getting a large pool of F4Fs, like over 300 as the F6Fs replace the F4Fs.
The IJN did not come out to play and I husbanded my carriers in case they fell into a CV Trap and of course I had only a few decks to play with. Thus I did not lose a lot of Carriers nor fight a lot of carrier battles. Even my raids forward did not get me too many casualties. hence the shiploads of F4Fs!
So what can I do with them?
I know the usual response is to use them to train up stateside units with the outmoded models.
I am already setting up a number of USMC air units as trainers to get high ranking pilots eventually. But they are not losing planes. I am doing the train 100 at range 0 so they have minimal operational casualties.
I have a number of other USN units doing training such as the VR units. I cannot see many USN air units available to do the training.
I cannot see any other use for them. Do I just let them go to the junk yard or is there some other place they can be used?
It just seems a waste but maybe that is part of the whole Allied outproducing the Japanese thing?

Training and rear area CAP. Once you get into it with the IJN you will lose quite a few F6Fs and Corsairs, and their replacement rates are not huge. I would keep at least 3-4 Sqs worth in the pool for when you go into hard core battle.

So I think what you are suggesting is that I deny upgrades to rear area sdns doing CAP. I already have the States based sdns training with blocked upgrades.
That means that I need to ID bases that are outside Japanese Ftr escort range so that the relatively inferior F4Fs only have to face the unescorted bombers. Correct? That means the flow of F6Fs and Corsairs will go to replacing combat losses and not to unnecessary upgrades of rarely engaged air units? That assumes of course I have enough frontline fighter units that I can leave some in the rear areas.
Okay, I'm fine with that.
Thanks for the suggestion.

edit:
Looking at the Japanese aircraft database, in 1943, the longest legs on the Japanese fighters are the Oscar IIa with 13 hexes with both drop tanks and extended range. Then we drop down to the A6M3 Zero with normal Drop tanks of 10 and extended range with drop tanks of 12 as well as the basic Oscar. The Nick can reach out to 10 on drop tanks and extended range. Other than that, it looks like 8 is the expected normal range.

Then the bombers have basic ranges of 21 for the Nell (Haven't seen them for a long while) 17 for the Betty 11 for the Frances and 10 for the Sally. .
Extended ranges are 26 for the Nell, 21 for the Betty, 19 on extended range and drop tanks for the Frances and 12 for the Sally.
It looks like if I am more than 10 or 11 hexes from a Japanese base, I will only face, in normal situations, unescorted bombers.

So SOP looks like being that once the front line moves forward and a base is now greater than 10 hexes from a Japanese base, then I can afford to have older models on CAP there. Good to know. Thanks for the tip.

In preferences, at the beginning of the game, I always turn off upgrades and auto replacements. That way you retain control of who gets the replacement aircraft and the new aircraft....GP

Japan still has some A6M2 Zeros which can do 14 hexes with drop tanks. If they really wanted to hit one of your bases they could concentrate those fighters with their bombers.