Aircraft Turnaround Times

[stww2]

How long does it take to turnaround an aircraft in RTW2? In other words, after landing from a strike, how long before an aircraft can be rearmed, refueled, and launched again?

[jwsmith26]

Aircraft turn-around time varies a lot depending on date, technology and training. Landing times and striking below depend heavily on the size of the squadron, but generally takes from 2 to 5 minutes. Going from an unready state to a readied state takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Going from a readied to spotted takes another 15 to 20 minutes. Take off requires from 2 to 5 minutes depending on squadron size. From landing-on to take off would normally take between 45 and 60 minutes.

[nimrod]

I'm not disagreeing with jwsmith26, but I think I see closer to 100 minutes or longer for a 20 plane squadron to cycle from landing to launched in some situations.

I suspect cycle times might include other squadron ops tempo / CAP operations running the launch capacity over its limit and slowing everything down as a result... As an example maintaining two 20 plane squadrons of fighters on high CAP, while also attempting to launch a 37 plane strike when the CV capacity is at 44 planes...

[oldpop2000]

Just thought I would throw some monkey wrenches into the conversation.

1. Radial engines require about 20 minutes to warm up, give or take 5 minutes. If the carrier hangars are enclosed. they would have to be brought up on the deck. That takes time with slow elevators. Hopefully, you can recover your CAPs.

2. If you don't use deck parks, then re-arming must be done in the hangar.

3. If you are changing from torpedoes to bombs or vice-versa, that takes time and if you don't have enough specialized aviation ordnance men for every aircraft in the squadron, that will take even more time. Generally, you have about 6 crews per squadron, but the Japanese only had four. So, four crews to swap the torpedo racks for bomb racks, then another crew to load the new ordnance. For say a squadron of eighteen planes, you figure it out.

4. Another limiting factor is the number of carts available to move the torpedoes and bombs to and from the ammunition elevator.

5.  Now if the plane is damaged, then that takes some time to repair, or it sits. Now this begins the reduction in air wing size capability.

6. It took the Japanese two- and one-half hours, before the whole strike force would be rearmed, spotted and warmed up for launch. It did not take the US that much time, because we could re-arm, refuel on deck and warm-up the engines in the hangar if needed.

There is so much more depending on the speed of the elevators, the number and location of them, the speed of the carrier and of course, the combat air patrols that will have to be recovered, refueled and launched.


Ain't this fun..... www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfkwjU8k6W4&ab_channel=ZenosWarbirds

[oldpop2000]

In the game, unless it depicts carriers with open sides or closed side, there is no way to get an accurate timing of landing, re-arm and refuel, spotting and launching. However, closed hangars are slower unless they use a deck park. Open sides are faster and better especially with deck parks. My guess is that open sides with deck park can execute in 1-1.5 hours, closed hangars with deck park 2- 2.5 hours. This is the best you can do.

[oldpop2000]

Update: I forgot to add that multiple hangars will also slow down carrier operations especially without deck parks. The Japanese experienced this as did the British until they began to use deck parks in 1943.