Flight

Standing force of yeomen or aristocracy fighting for pay. Train regularly in the use and maintenance of their weapons and armor. A unit of archers, of at least a platoon size, usually part of a larger army. This is a volunteer force recruited from both noble and peasant classes and paid a reasonable wage. Desertion is punishable by confinement. They are expected to train and drill every morning and uphold the code of chivalry. Can be removed from service for violations of the code of chivalry or for serious transgressions against the gentry or clergy.

Composition

Manpower

Consists of approximately 100 bowmen, led by a Centenar. Made up of five squads of 20 men, led by vintenars.

Equipment

Archers wear light armor consisting of a helm, usually flat top, conical, or spangen, and leather cuirass with light gambeson or sleeveless heavy gambeson, hose and chausses, leather gloves and boots with greaves. Pavisers also carry shields, such as large wooden boss gripped tower, kite, or oval shields. It is fashionable for archers to wear colorful and decorative bracers. This both serves the purpose of stopping painful bowstring whacks and boasts their rank as an archer.
A quiver container that holds up to 24 arrows, darts, bolts, or javelins. It could either be carried on a bow, the ground, or the archer’s body, depending upon the shooting type and the archer’s preference. Thumb ring is an equipment piece designed specifically to protect the thumb during archery. A finger tab is a small leather patch designed to protect an archer’s fingers from the bowstring. It is strapped or attached in some way to the archer’s hands. And a bracer, also called an arm guard.

Weaponry

The longbow was designed to be tall, around as tall as the user itself, enabling the archer to take a long draw. The limbs of a longbow are relatively narrow so that they are D-shaped or circular in cross-section. Compared to the short bow, the longbow is able to launch arrows faster. It releases around 10-13 arrows per minute.
The crossbow uses an elastic launching device that works like the bow. The crossbow is easy to use and does not require much training or skill. However, it can only shoot a couple of bolts per minute, although it has a decent range of between 440 and 550 yards.

Tactics

Archers are usually used in the front row of the army as the first line of defense. They are used to break the other sides formation. As their range is limited they need to be as close as they can get to the enemy. They are used to protect the castle stronghold and high walls as well as be hidden in the towers, their bows skillfully poised and ready aimed through the arrow slit.
Fire arrows are not very popular due to their low effectiveness, the speed of the arrow often extinguishes the flame.

Training

An archers training is grueling, and they have to practice for long hours at a time in order to prove their worth as an exceptional marksman. Not only do they have to be a skilled shot, but they need to be able to judge at what range their arrows would pierce their enemies’ armor.
Clout shooting: A target is placed flat (not vertically), and the arrows are arched high in the air with the objective of striking the target. The aim is to land the projectile as close to the target as possible. This shooting style is popular and is often practiced with traditional bows.
Roving marks: In this shooting style, archers are made to shoot at a target, only to shoot at another target but from the location of the previous target. Many people consider this to be the oldest type of competitive archery, and it was even practiced by dukes of old.
Butt shooting: Archers shoot at targets held up by butts (made up of turfs of earth).

Logistics

Auxilia

Villeins, serfs, and bandsmen with no formal training conscripted to fight as part of their servile obligations to the nobility or mayor for defense of the realm.

Upkeep

On average a Centenar earns 20, a Vintenar earns 10, a Paviser earns 7, and an Archer earns 5 per day. Then there are the bowyers, stringers, fletchers, and atiliators, the craftsmen who make the bows, crossbows, bolts, and arrows that the archers and pavisers use.

Recruitment

Recruited from the yeomen and aristocracy of large towns and cities. Every recruit must be able to provide their own weapons and armor.

Type

Artillery

Overall training Level

Semi-professional

Assumed Veterancy

Trained

Parent Formation

Army