The Berlin Airlift turns the flying-boat infrastructure argument into a concrete logistics case. Lake Havel supplied another landing area when runway capacity was precious. The aircraft were particularly useful for salt because their control cables ran high in the hull and were less exposed to corrosive spills. Airframe layout and local geography gave an old aircraft type a highly specific strategic role.
Notable Point · 2:39:17-2:41:48
Flying boats carried salt in the Berlin Airlift
Sunderland flying boats added Lake Havel as an unloading point and carried corrosive salt in hulls whose control runs were better protected from the cargo.