Hey, I make gameplay compromises, too. In my airbase/airgroup mod I didn't completely eliminate the planes
I just reduced their range so they'd stay on CAP (meaning over the fleet, which is where Combat Air Patrols take place), and I reduced the numbers hugely because with the tiny radius, they cover the area very effectively with almost no planes.
I think that in a campaign like RSRD (or the similar TROM elements in mine) one way is scripted planes. You could actually have them spawn in, fly around, then the TF can stop, and they come back and despawn.
It all becomes compromise at some point, the question is where
tater