Thank you for the nod, SWO_Daddy. Starting people off in the game smoothly is both a joy and an honor, and I'm glad to be of service as so much as I'm able
Thanks! Yeah we play it by a specific speed, I just wasn't sure that was the right way after all this time.
I think that is correct according to the rule book, but I have had players who wondered how it is possible to go from slow to high so quickly.
My group once tried a variation by which players could throttle their speed up or down by one each turn. It worked pretty well, and added another layer of thought.
Anecdotal: For what it's worth, my gaming group (primarily new players) has occasionally house-ruled saying "normal/high" and then made a valid move within the range of options (without declaring "speed 3"). We play with 4-16 players each controlling a plane across 4 maps, so this keeps the game moving and prevents analysis paralysis.
The only in-game difference I can tell between the two methods are the potential consequences for failing a maneuver. The rule book method may leave a plane quite exposed, while the normal/high is more forgiving.