Thanks for the information everybody!
That's too bad, Traveler. Just plain combat is inherent in strategy, air superiority and post capture defense, so I don't see how they would be mutually exclusive. I don't know why HTC would have dumbed down the mission planning tool. For those that just want to "Turn and Burn" I would think they could do it from any field at any time without regard to what's happening on the map. And I have seen hordes decimate Pickup missions, so they add to the fun!
Anyway, I've only been playing for a couple of months and really enjoy the Pickup missions the most. Fighting with a purpose, whether in a bomber or fighter (or tank), is just more fun for me than blowing things up without a plan! But to each his own
Thanks for letting me know your schedule Earl. I can't get online until about 7-8pm CST weekdays, so I'm missing most of your missions during the week. But on the weekends I have caught them several times and they are really fun! Now that I know your schedule I'll try to join in more often on the weekends
As I get more experience I'll start planning Pickup missions myself, but right now I still don't know enough about the game to pull them off properly. But learning as fast as I can!