Flying Higher

[Ian]

I have a quick question about using the Flying Higher rule. How do you decide the starting altitude for all the aircraft? And do all aircraft still start at the same height?

Thanks for any help
Ian

[Rabbit 3]

You can more or less decide for yourself when setting up keeping in mind the old maxim of " he who has the hight controls the fight".
You could for example have each side secretly chose their starting altitude, the only limitation being the specific plane`s maximum rating found in the rulebook.
The main problem there being that if one side choses a very high level and the other a very low one its going to take a while for the higher group to dive on the lower so for playability its probably a good idea to start the game with the higher side at no more than four levels above.
Alternatively, you could give one side a specific mission like reconnaissance or bombing which would force them to fly lower and give the attacking side a bit more choice.
A useful `rule of thumb` level I frequently use when starting a game is about a level of seven or eight, its high enough to be above any ground fire and well within the performance envelope of any plane in the game!

[Lt. S.Kafloc]

You could also decide on a min/max level and players pick between. We also do this for clouds using the height dials similar to those in the AA shop. Gives clouds a depth in height instead of being flat.