ORIGINAL: jay102
but if air skill is irrelevant for carrier captains, why the evaluation report in leader choosing panel grants leaders with good air skill a comment like "best qualified to command a carrier"?
If you can, get a captain with high air skill in case you operate without a TF leader at some point, or the ships get split due to damage, etc.
Naval will keep them away from subs, do better to avoid air strikes and surface vessels aiming for them. It'll also keep them from hitting the DDs while maneuvering, which is as damaging as a bomb.
You almost always pay as much as it takes to get a good TF commander for a CV TF. There are quite a few good ones for both sides with high air skill (1) high inspiration (2) and high naval (3).
Aggression is only desirable if you KNOW you will have an advantage, and often even not at that point. It means reactions, and if there are multiple CV TFs and you want to keep them together, reactions are BAD. If you're running one and hunting something, then go for Halsey.
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill