The Imperial Japanese Naval Aviation Bureau replaced the earlier aeronautical research commission and oversaw the service's training centers. On paper, the size of those training branches relative to the existing air arm suggested room for expansion. In practice, divided responsibilities made training more difficult while the service continued to demand exceptional all-round flying ability. The organization widened, but its definition of an acceptable aviator remained extremely narrow, creating a bottleneck behind Japan's later shortage of replacements.
Notable Point · 22:14-24:11
The aviation bureau inherited a training bottleneck
The Naval Aviation Bureau and its training centers appeared ready for expansion, but specialization and exacting pilot standards constrained the force they could produce.