Aerial Infrastructure

[Desertfox]

Keep it simple guys, we don't need more that 2 or at most 3 types of airfields. And if we need more options down the road, we can modify the rules then, but right now we don't need much.

[Guinness]

I recall a part of the book "Men of the Gambier Bay", were an F4F is repaired with ductape, and could keep on fighting...

Possibly the toughest overall combat aircraft ever built: the F4F-4. Il-2's had more armor, but for being able to take punishment, get it's crew home, and get fixed up in a hurry and get flying again, I'd take a Wildcat any day. B-17's probably deserve a place in this off-topic tangent as well...

[miketr]

I like the A-10 ver much as a ground support aircraft.  Is stupidly hard to kill with triple redundancy on its flight controls; yes you have to grind through 4 sets of flight controls one of which is purely mechanical.  It has massive structural strength and armor, 6% of its weight is armor.  It can fly on one engine and with heavy wing damage, not well but it can.  To be honest we should be buiding more of them instead of the stealth aircraft like the F-35 or even F-16's.  Its even possible as boeing is doing an upgrade of the aircraft that involves newly constructed wings and the wing is a very serious part of the plane.

As to navalism, what do people want to see exactly in terms of an upper and lower end BP cost for airfields?  Also as commented on up list my view point is aircraft will be just ground through over combat.  Aircraft are what I call an attrition vehicle, they are going to get ground up over time.

Michael

[Guinness]

How about this idea for forward ops from semi-prepared fields: no costs in $ or BP, but aircraft operating under those conditions are always on a wartime footing. This assumes we institute units with upkeep costs, of course.

[ctwaterman]

[Tangent]
Unfortunately the Dies for the A-10 were melted down a decade or more ago.  We would have to completely rebuild the assembly line from the ground up.  The Current A-10 are getting new structural elements in the wings.  Basically hand tooled parts because the machine tools to make more were melted down for their cash value when the Airforce tried to retire the plane for more fast movers in the 90's.
[/Tangent]

Ok,

I like the proposal so far all of them can work we just need to find one balance it and select it.   I currently have a handful of Airfields and am likely to be building a couple more handfuls in the near future.

My Plan would be simple a centralized large All Weather Airfield with gravel and black top runways and good drainage with maintenance hangers, machine shops, and Barracks.  This centralized Airfield would be surrounded by smaller airfields for frontline deployment and operations.  Grass Strips, a few hangers, and Baracks for the Pilots and crew.

For wartime deployment we need a unit which is X men and tenatage and some tools and some Trucks to move fuel and such that supports a group of Y Mechanics and Z Pilots.   They go they find a flat bit of terrain perfable with a nice farm house nearbye and comandier it.  Set up the tents in the Orchard and the Barn becomes the place to work on engines...  Presto Jasta 11 and the Red Barron have moved 100 km down the front line to a new airfield...

[Desertfox]

Well I was planning on buying a 'floating' airfield. Pay for an airfield, but not have it fixed anywhere, a shipborne 'Flying Circus'. Have everything you need, load it up on some merchants and presto, instant airpower wherever the fighting is.

[maddox]

Supply transport by truck, or by boat... what a difference. Boats can be sunk 

[Desertfox]

A quick and dirty proposal:


1906:  Historical 1910 aircrafts
AIRFIELDS: FREE

1910: historical 1914 aircrafts
AIRFIELDS: $1/0.1BP large, $0.5 medium, FREE small

1913:  historical 1916 aircrafts
AIRFIELDS: $2/0.2BP large, $1 medium, $0.2 small

1917: historical 1918 aircrafts
AIRFIELDS: $3/0.3BP large, $1.5 medium, $0.3 small

1921: historical 1922 aircrafts
AIRFIELDS: $4/0.4BP large, $2 medium, $0.4 small

1928: historical 1930 aircrafts
AIRFIELDS: $5/0.5BP large, $2.5 medium, $0.5 small

Large Airfield: 400 light aircraft or equivalent

Medium Airfield: 100 light aircraft or equivalent

Small Airfield: 40 light aircraft or equivalent

Airship Hangars and Ports include a small airfield (seaplanes only for ports).

Mobile Airfields (ie Flying Circus) cost as medium or small, but operate only half as many aircraft

1 Airship = 5 Heavy Aircraft = 10 Medium Aircraft = 20 Light Aircraft

[miketr]

DF I think a flat cost for airfields might be better, like ports have.  An airfield won't care if its getting a 1902 or 1928 aircraft.  Just as a part doesn't care either.

[Tanthalas]

DF I think a flat cost for airfields might be better, like ports have.  An airfield won't care if its getting a 1902 or 1928 aircraft.  Just as a part doesn't care either.

Yes and No Mike, can you imagine the disaster you would end up with trying to land a B-52 on the same runway that was built for landing say a B-17? However for our period you are basicly right.

[miketr]

thats what the concrete runway is for.  Also I was talking more about in terms of repair shops and the like.

[Desertfox]

DF I think a flat cost for airfields might be better, like ports have.  An airfield won't care if its getting a 1902 or 1928 aircraft.  Just as a part doesn't care either.

I agree, I was just going of our current rules.

[P3D]

Got a question about airfields and planes.

Is there a limit on how many aircraft a given airfield can maintain?

[Sachmle]

Got a question about airfields and planes.

Is there a limit on how many aircraft a given airfield can maintain?

Not yet, but in 1920 there will be, once exactly what amount that is is hammered out. See http://www.navalism.org/index.php?topic=5009.0