Pilot

A Pilot is the driver of an Aircraft. Due to the difficult controls of most aircraft, Pilots are typically highly-trained individuals. Occasionally, a non-qualified person must take control of an aircraft due to no qualified pilots available; They are referred to as the pilot regardless.

Every aircraft must have a pilot in order to fly. However, some aircraft - particularly Transport Planes and Bombers use a scripted AI pilot that does not actually make any decisions, instead following a predefined script. Nevertheless, ArmA requires a pilot in the aircraft in order to fly.

Player Pilots are the commanders of their aircraft, and make all important decisions regarding their aircraft. In combat, Pilots have plenty of leeway to make critical decisions. Nevertheless, Pilots are likely to maintain close coordination with ground forces (typically through a FAC on Air Net), as they typically have a limited understanding of the situation on the ground otherwise. The FAC can make decisions regarding objectives and targets, but will rarely micro-manage any aircraft.

As the commanders of an aircraft, Pilots can also make decisions for their crew and passengers. A Co-Pilot is typically present, who serves as an extra set of eyes, an impromptu Medic, and can take over for the Pilot if he is incapacitated (thus becoming the temporary Pilot of the aircraft). Pilots also decide when to drop Paratroopers, what passengers should do while on board (such as firing at nearby targets or other aircraft, or manning on-board guns), and so forth.

Due to the rarity of skilled pilots, they obey different REJIP rules - often allowed to Teleport back to base after being killed in order to take a new aircraft out. Losing all pilots without REJIP can lead to the breakdown of the mission and a change in orders. Downed pilots of manage to survive a crash are typically picked up by another aircraft if possible and taken back to base to acquire a new aircraft.

Pilots are not equipped for Infantry combat, typically carrying little more than a Submachine Gun, some ammo, and possibly Flares or Smoke to signal their location after a crash. If forced to fight on the ground, they may end up picking up enemy weapons just to survive, but will otherwise attempt to avoid combat if at all possible.

Equipment
Pilots carry very little equipment, as they are not expected to have to use anything other than their aircraft under normal circumstances. All equipment carried by Pilots, Co-Pilots and other air crew is for emergencies only.

Pilots carry Bandages and other medical gear for first aid, in case they get shot. This can also come in handy if the aircraft crash-lands.

Pilots flying an aircraft with an Ejection seat are given a Parachute for the eventuality of ejections. The parachute will deploy automatically upon ejection, and will disappear as soon as the pilot touches the ground.

When pilots eject or crash-land, they need a way to signal their location to friendly ground troops and/or any other aircraft that comes to pick them up. For this purpose, pilots may carry a Flare or some type of Smoke. Additionally, Pilots may or may not carry a 148/152 radio to remain in contact with command after leaving the aircraft. They also carry a 343 short-range radio, but will only rarely use it. Note that neither radio is used when inside the aircraft, as it has a built-in long-range radio.

Pilots are only expected to fight personally after surviving a crash landing - a rare scenario. As such, they are not equipped for combat, typically carrying little more than a Pistol or SMG with a handful of matching Magazines. As such, they are almost entirely useless in a combat scenario, and must seek safety with friendly ground troops or pick up an enemy weapon in order to have a chance to survive any firefight.

Role
A Pilot's only role is to command and control the aircraft they are flying. Depending on the type of aircraft, the tasks and objectives of a Pilot can vary greatly.

First and foremost, a Pilot's task is to keep the aircraft flying and its crew/passengers safe. Losing even a single aircraft can have a serious impact on the mission. If the aircraft is damaged, the pilot must make an immediate decision whether to try to fly back to base or to attempt an emergency landing, before the aircraft is damaged again and possibly destroyed.

Pilots of Transport Helicopters need to maintain a relatively close distance to the ground forces to ensure that they can perform an immediate Extract if the situation on the ground goes sour. They must also constantly maintain distance from any enemy units that could shoot them down. The pilot also has to be aware of the number of open seats in the aircraft as well as the number of troops remaining on the ground. It is also the Pilot's duty to issue the call "Go! Go! Go!" when dropping off troops, as he is the only person who knows when it is safe to disembark; and to take off prematurely when picking up troops to protect the aircraft if the LZ is too Hot.

Pilots of Close Air Support aircraft and other combat aircraft have a much more complicated role, as they are required to attack targets on the ground. This requires knowing where friendly forces are at all times (to avoid Friendly Fire), where enemy targets are, how much ammunition the aircraft has remaining, and where enemy Anti-Air assets are. The pilot must report any significant enemy presence to the ground forces so that they can prepare to meet that enemy if the aircraft does not manage to destroy it first. If the aircraft is running low on ammunition, the pilot must determine the best time to RTB, and coordinate such a departure from the battlefield with the ground forces.

If a Co-Pilot is present, several duties can be relegated to the co-pilot in order to reduce the pressure on the pilot himself. Navigation is the primary duty to be relegated, with the co-pilot marking Waypoints and Points of Interest on the map for the pilot to see, and/or call out directions for flight. Communications with other units on Air Net or other radio channels is also relegated to the Co-Pilot. The Co-Pilot also serves as a separate set of eyes, and may use the aircraft's extended optics (if present) to spot ground targets and identify them. The Co-Pilot can also turn into the pilot during emergencies (such as if the pilot is killed or incapacitated).

Chain of Command
Under normal circumstances, a Pilot has ultimate authority over his aircraft. If the aircraft is part of a Flight, the pilot is nominally subordinated to whoever leads the flight - typically the pilot of Aircraft 1 in that flight. In all cases however, Pilots have more leeway than any other player (except for Command, naturally), capable of making both snap decisions and long-term maneuvers without asking permission or informing anyone. Pilots also have ultimate authority over anyone in their air crew (the Co-Pilot, any Gunner, etc.) and any passengers currently on board.

Nevertheless, in order to maximize their effectiveness, pilots must maintain constant communications with other aircraft and the FAC on the Air Net radio channel or by any other means available. While the Pilot maintains their authority, failure to heed instructions from the ground can result in unnecessary casualties or even failing the mission. Failure to communicate with other aircraft can result in conflicts, and especially collisions.

Downward Inheritance
If a pilot is incapacitated by injuries, the Co-Pilot takes temporary control of the aircraft and effectively becomes its pilot until the original pilot can be resuscitated. As soon as the pilot's health is restored, they will take control back.

If the pilot is killed, however, the Co-Pilot becomes the de-facto pilot of the aircraft, assuming all responsibilities. If someone else is available to become a co-pilot, they will inherit that position in order to keep the aircraft effective. Nevertheless, the loss of a pilot is rarely permanent; The co-pilot-turned-pilot will typically take the aircraft back to base to collect the REJIPped pilot, with each of them returning to their original role. It is extremely rare to see a Co-Pilot continue the mission without their original pilot, unless they are highly-skilled and specifically instructed to do so.

Upwards Inheritance
Pilots are highly unlikely to have to inherit any position, as their position is already of paramount importance and difficult to replace.

However, in a Flight it may be necessary for a pilot to assume command of other aircraft if the #1 aircraft is shot down or removed from the battlefield. When Flights separate into pairs, the lead pilot in the second pair (typically #3) assumes the role of a Flight Leader for his pair, at least until the two pairs rejoin later on.

Map Markers
A Pilot has two separate markers for his position: An STHUD marker seen only by other members of his air crew, and a map marker displaying the position of the Pilot (and thus his aircraft, under normal circumstances) to all other players on his Side.

Map
On the map, a Pilot has a marker attached to him that signifies his location - and vicariously the location of his aircraft.

The Pilot's marker looks like this:

XXXY


 * The large symbol is an approximation of the NATO symbol for an air unit. In ShackTac this is used for all aircraft, regardless of their type or role.
 * XXX is a two-, three-, or four-letter shortened form of the aircraft's Callsign. This is typically "Rpr" for "Reaper"; "Ph" for "Phantom"; "Ug" for "Ugly"; and so forth.
 * Y is a single-digit number signifying the aircraft's position within its Flight. Aircraft without a flight are missing this number altogether.
 * The entire symbol will be colored either blue or yellow. This changes from mission to mission, and does not seem to follow any pattern (though yellow was more common in ArmA 2, and blue in ArmA 3).

The marker follows the pilot, not his aircraft. This allows pilots to be tracked even after crash-landing, so that they can be picked up by another aircraft or linked-up with ground troops. It is the pilot's responsibility to mark the crashed aircraft on the map so that it can later be destroyed or repaired.

Pilots typically retain the marker throughout the mission. If the pilot is killed, however, a Co-Pilot or other crew-member may manually inherit the marker so that others can continue to keep track of their position.

Communications
Pilots have to maintain communications on the 148/152 long-range radio installed in their aircraft, and in most circumstances this is the only method of communication they use. If a Co-Pilot is present, the Pilot can communicate with them using Voice while both are inside the aircraft. A 343 radio is also available, but pilots will only rarely have any need to use it.

148/152 Air Net
The primary method of communication for any Pilot is the 148/152 long-range radio set to the Air Net. On this channel, the pilot can converse with any other friendly pilot as well as the Forward Air Controller.

The 148/152 is installed inside the aircraft, and a separate unit is not required. However, the pilot will likely also be carrying a separate 148/152 radio, to be able to listen to Platoon Net (or Company Net) and for cases where he must abandon the aircraft.

On Air Net, both the Pilot and Co-Pilot identify themselves by the Callsign of their aircraft, e.g. "Phantom 1", "Ugly 2", et cetera. Additionally, if anyone on Air Net calls for "Air", any aircraft listening can respond to the call.

Pilots use Air Net to receive tasks, report targets they've spotted, confirm the location of friendly troops, and coordinate their actions with the ground forces. They also use this net to coordinate with other aircraft, which can dramatically reduce the chance of conflicts or collisions. Multiple aircraft in a Flight typically converse on Air Net rather than on a separate channel of their flight.

148/152 Platoon/Company Net
Additionally to Air Net, pilots typically set their other long-range radio (if they have one) to the same net used by the ground force Command, known as "Platoon Net" or "Company Net". This is the channel used by the ground officers (Squad Leaders and upwards) to relay orders and coordinate actions. Listening to this channel allows the pilot to better understand the situation on the ground, the position of friendly forces, and any threats that the pilot may be able to assist with even if they aren't directly asked to do so by the FAC.

Assitionally, Pilots may occasionally use the ground net to bypass the FAC on Air Net. This is done when an immediate threat is discovered that would take too long to report to the FAC, or when attempting to coordinate directly with a specific ground unit for information or accurate attack.

Furthermore, if contact with the FAC is lost on Air Net, a pilot may attempt to contact ground forces on the Ground Net to attempt to re-establish communications. Occasionally, Air Net will be abandoned altogether (such as when the FAC dies and there is only one aircraft in the air).

Voice
Depending on the type of aircraft being used, and whether or not a Co-Pilot is present, pilots may not have any need to use Voice at all throughout an entire mission. This applies mostly to Transport Helicopter pilots, who are likely to be flying alone.

Pilots can speak to any other crewmember within the aircraft without distance considerations, thanks to the aircraft's internal communications system. In small Transport Helicopters such as the Littlebird, passengers also hear and speak on this intercom while they are on the aircraft. The intercom helps overcome the powerful noise of the engine.

If a Co-Pilot is present, communication between the Pilot and Co-Pilot is handled entirely by voice. There is no need for a radio unless one or both of the pilots get out of the aircraft for any reason. If the crew bails the aircraft, they'll likely stick together and will be able to use voice to communicate with one another.

343 Emergency Radio
Pilots are also equipped with a 343 short-range radio. For the most part, they will not be required to use this radio at all throughout the entire mission. However, in certain emergency cases, the 343 has two primary uses: Maintaining contact between the Pilot and Co-Pilot on the ground, and maintaining contact with ground units who lack a 148/152 radio for some reason.

Shot-down air crews can use the 343 radio on their own channel to converse. This will come in handy if the pilot and co-pilot are ever separated. They have a separate channel for this purpose. However, if the pilot and co-pilot both carry a 148/152, they're more likely to keep conversing on Air Net instead, as it has better range and will keep other pilots / the FAC aware of what they're doing.

More importantly, pilots and/or co-pilots will sometimes switch their 343 radio to a channel used by one of the ground units. This can be done to re-establish contact with ground units that have lost access to their 148/152 long-range radio, in which case the aircraft will make low passes over their position while calling for any survivors on the 343. Since the 343 has a very short range, the low passes are necessary to make contact - though even heavily-garbled static is a better response than silence. If contact is established this way, its purpose is usually to organize immediate Extract.

REJIP rules
Due to the rarity of skilled helicopter pilots, and the importance of aircraft in missions that feature them, the death of a Pilot is rarely permanent. Pilots are often allowed to REJIP after being killed, so that they can take out another aircraft.

The REJIP may occur even very late in the mission, especially if a helicopter Extract is planned for the Infantry. A REJIPPed pilot may or may not take the same type of aircraft they've been using until their death.

Note that a REJIP will rarely occur if the pilot survives a crash-landing. In this case, the pilot will attempt to rejoin the ground troops or (if other aircraft are available for a pick-up) be extracted and returned to base to take out another aircraft.