What is the mechanism that prevents some airgroups from training over 50 xp?

[Sredni]

I first noticed this behavior in training groups that were off map, they would train their pilots to 50 xp and the normal sub 70 skill levels and then just stall there, unable to advance xp any further and unable to bring any skills beyond the mid 60's. The airgroups in siberia pre soviet activation do the same thing. So during a previous game after I noticed I just moved all of my training groups to on map bases and I think it stopped, can't really remember.

However this game the same thing is happening again to all of my bomber pilot training groups, and I based them in mojave right from the start. So currently pretty much my whole training fleet of bomber pilots has stalled at 50 xp, with most refusing to train beyond 65ish ground bomb, and none of them able to advance defense skill at all. I'm basically screwed come the big bomber expansions come late 44 because the 40 odd bomber groups (most of the 12 plane bomber groups) that should have been churning out trained pilots over the past year are all still stuck trying to finish off their first batch.

So I moved them again, this time to one of the bases right next to san fran, and after another month of training they are all again sitting around with no xp or skill gains beyond 50.

Not the normal slow gains you can expect normally. Pretty much nothing at all. Whole groups mid way through the month without a single colored xp tick in their skill list, and just a handful of slow skill gains.


Is there something that causes this? I tried changing their command without any real effect. I've got hq's in range. The bases are all level 9 airfields with over 250 air support. I just don't know what more to do.

[Barb]

I think your pilots need combat experience to advance beyond that line - that means actually using them. It is no more possible to train pilots to 90exp/skill by training. You should take out those 50exp/65skill pilots out as they already finished their training and fill the squadrons with fresh pilots from pools.

[JohnDillworth]

I think this is hard coded. It's easy to train fighter pilots, but bomber pilots seem to stall right where you indicate (50/70). This is particularly annoying when you are trying to train groups that will upgrade to 2 engine low level attack bombers (B-25's with all the machine guns up front plus skip bomb's). All I can say is B-17's are pretty much bullet proof so pull the experienced guys out of those groups and stockpile them. Training will only allow 50/70. AE hates on Allied medium bombers. Betty's rock, B-25's .................. not so much. Wart in an otherwise excellent game.

[Sredni]

I'm almost positive I've trained up bomber pilots at other times... yeah in my previous game I was all ocd about it and trained bomber pilots to 60 xp and 70+ in ground bomb and naval bomb before putting them to use, which is why I never really had any bomber pools and thus ran super short during the bomber group expansions of 44.

this game I had a ton of bomber groups in march field training and none of them were advancing after a year or more of training. Moved the 4 groups I have training attack bomber pilots to san fran and they started training properly again. Moved the rest a bit later to an AF next to sanfran and they arn't training properly. My bomber pilots in theatre train as well. I have a bunch in SE asia that I used during the advance into burma and thailand, but I can't get any supply to flow down into malaysia so they're sitting back in rangoon training.

It's just the trainer groups in the states for ground bomber pilots that arn't doing anything.

[Sredni]

The top group you can see are my attack bomber pilots. They sat at march field doing diddly squat for the past year until I moved them last month to sanfran. Those gains you see are from half a months training after the training kickstarted back up.

The middle picture is one of the groups I have training on an airfield next to sanfran. The pilots above 50xp are the ones who I pulled in who were already at that xp. But they stopped gaining xp or very much ground bomb skill as soon as they were put in the group. Moving them from march field to the field next to sanfran didn't fix the problem.

The bottom picture is some experienced bombers who have been training for a while in rangoon. They're on general training as I try to bring all their defense skills above 70, but even if I had put them on training ground bomb they would still be advancing in xp slowly but surely along with some minor skill gains.



I may have mentioned this but I'm pretty ocd about pilot training. I hate. HATE. using pilots that are below 50 xp, and/or below 70 in their primary skill.