Six-aircraft flights suited continuous early warning

The Air Ministry's insistence on flight-sized Fleet Air Arm units shaped doctrine, organization, and command rank. Moving from flights to squadrons also raised command through lieutenant-commander and commander posts, tying air-unit structure directly to the carrier's chain of command. For continuous warning, six aircraft offered a practical cycle: two airborne, one ready, two under maintenance, and another available in the hangar. A dedicated flight could concentrate on lookout and reconnaissance without being pulled into every other carrier mission. Later torpedo-spotter-reconnaissance squadrons instead divided attention among strike, spotting, reconnaissance, and anti-submarine tasks.