Aircraft Pilots  Photograph of American Navy ace David
McCampBell  National Archives #80-G-373673  Aircraft proved to
be a decisive weapon during the Pacific War. However, no weapon
can be better than the men who use it. The Japanese had a clear
edge in pilot skill when war broke out, but the Pacific War was
characterized by a steady improvement in Allied aircraft pilot
skills and a steady degradation in Japanese pilot skill.
Japanese pilots  The Japanese Navy began the war with superbly
trained pilots. None of the Japanese pilots involved in the
attack on Pearl Harbor had logged less than 600 hours of flying
time, and many flight leaders had over 1500 hours’ experience.
Flying the excellent Zero, Japanese fighter pilots were able to
sweep opposing aircraft out of the skies of the southwest
Pacific in the early months of the war.  Japanese naval pilot
training emphasized quality over quantity. Selection criteria
were so strict that no more than 100 pilot candidates were
accepted in some years. Prior to 1940