How much emphasis on formation flying in training vs formation flying in combat? I recall that a Luftwaffe veteran pilot had lamented that, late in the war, the new pilots were drilled on tight formation flying which impeded their ability to keep their eyes open for enemy aircraft because they were so busy watching their flight leader's plane. I was curious if the same thing happened in other air forces.
Also, his opinion about pilot age vs combat effectiveness. In WW2 the pilots were younger than the pilots in Korea, and the pilots in Korea were younger than the pilots in 'Nam. Nowadays, the planes go faster and pull more G's, yet the pilots tend to be in their 30's and 40's rather than in their 20's like in WW2.
