Operating from water reduced reliance on the fixed infrastructure that early land aviation often lacked. A suitable body of water could support an aircraft carrying considerable weight without a developed runway complex. Helicopters, the Harrier, and the F-35 provide later comparisons for this kind of basing flexibility. The Harrier is the closer parallel because it tolerates barer facilities than the F-35.
Notable Point · 20:36-21:15
Water bases reduced the need for runways
Seaplanes could lift useful loads without a developed runway complex, a flexibility compared with helicopters, the Harrier, and the F-35.