Institutional constraints helped sustain Soviet interest in flying boats. Water access at an established naval base reduced the need to acquire farmland and build a separate runway network. That avoided bargaining with regional authorities whose support might depend on local relationships rather than the strength of the naval case. Infrastructure and bureaucratic control could shape aircraft choices as strongly as nominal performance.
Notable Point · 23:18-24:48
Why flying boats bypassed airfield politics
Flying boats could operate from existing naval bases without competing for scarce land and political approval for new airfields.