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Specifically, turning a "Maintenance Unavailable" aircraft into ready status. Few things worse than a platform down for the count during a 2+ day scenario without a chance for the repair crews to work their magic somehow. So far, most of my experience with CMO scenarios are thru the Northern Fury series. If there is a way to do this, I don't know how. I don't feel like using the Editor, as this takes the design of the scenario away.

I use aircraft in maintenance to represent normal down time, assuming that as one airframe gets fixed, another replaces it in the hanger bay for routine checks and fixes. So a Sqn of 12 AC will probably have 2-3 down for maintenance representing the 70-75% availability rate, quality of crews etc. Over a two day scenario, one could expect half the Sqn to cycle through maintenance, I think that is reasonable and you could - I'm sure, build a lua code to fix AC #8 and shift AC#2 into the bay. Even I could do that level of lua - the question I have is: Why?

B

Now that I have thought about it, I see the light. No military unit is EVER at peak strength and having several platforms down reflects this.

Game on, my friends.

The Maintenance status for aircraft is very handy for simulating what Gunner98 was talking about on scenarios that are no more than 48-72 hours.

However, for handful of scenarios much longer than that, like a week or more, I would suggest to designers NOT use the maintenance status, and rather just give those aircraft a VERY long ready time, so that they may end up being used, given the allotted time frame for that given scenario.

This would allow situations where the available number of airframes take combat losses, thus mandating that the maintenance on those airframes undergoing it being expedited, and more mechanic's time being available, as you don't need them on airframes that are destroyed.

HalfLifeExpert wrote: Fri Sep 08, 2023 5:43 pm I would suggest to designers NOT use the maintenance status, and rather just give those aircraft a VERY long ready time, so that they may end up being used, given the allotted time frame for that given scenario.

Yup, I've done that as well.

Gunner98 wrote: Fri Sep 08, 2023 8:32 pm

HalfLifeExpert wrote: Fri Sep 08, 2023 5:43 pm I would suggest to designers NOT use the maintenance status, and rather just give those aircraft a VERY long ready time, so that they may end up being used, given the allotted time frame for that given scenario.

Yup, I've done that as well.

That's my preferred option when I build a long scenario so that fresh airframes can come into play while the damaged aircraft ready times are modified by whatever damage they have sustained.

HalfLifeExpert wrote: Fri Sep 08, 2023 5:43 pmHowever, for handful of scenarios much longer than that, like a week or more ...

With long scenarios of such length (I'm designing a 28 day one myself) then the mechanics of turnaround time really come into play a lot more, no? You can't just keep everything possible on "Quick Turnaround."
Also, the 'maintenance' setting could be randomly scripted to apply to maybe 10% of available frames, weighted by their damage level and flight hours/g-stress levels etc, and put them in 'maintenance' mode for T time, also randomized to emulate differing levels of needed maintenance.
It would make a lot of sense for an aircraft that come back with 50% damage would be parked in the hanger for some time being repaired and maintained, but not as long as one with 80% damage and longer than one with 10%, etc. It does make more sense for damage to cause planes to enter 'maintenance' state, with a time table for varying levels of required maintenance.