When flying boats offer a real advantage

Should Britain have retained flying boats?

They are attractive for maritime patrol where airfields are scarce, but Britain generally had land bases; their case is stronger in the Pacific.

The answer separates the romance of flying boats from their practical niche: access to water where useful airfields are scarce. As maritime-patrol aircraft they do not automatically outperform conventional landplanes. Britain can rely on a dense and predictable airfield network, so the extra structure and cost needed for water operations buys little. The Pacific's distances, islands, and shortage of prepared runways make the same capability much more persuasive there.