Bomber priorities and the operator-engineer gap

In this interpretation, Bomber Command's influence led the Air Ministry to deprioritize fighters, Army cooperation, Coastal Command, and the Fleet Air Arm until the late 1930s. Centralized aviation expertise could have worked if the ministry had understood the needs of each operator rather than treating one faction's priorities as universal. Naval practitioners instead faced too many intermediaries before they could speak directly with aeronautical engineers. Wartime reform brought operators and designers into closer contact, while Royal Flying Corps culture had treated engineering work as beneath pilots and reinforced the earlier divide. Taranto required aircraft that were easy to handle and navigate at night, so designers had to understand fleet requirements in operational terms.