One argument for RAF control was that the Fleet Air Arm formed a small part of the Navy while accounting for a substantial share of Britain's total air strength. Rapid RAF expansion in the 1930s weakened that argument. A tender program begun in 1934 or 1935 could also have expanded naval aviation, strengthening the case for separate control. In this counterfactual, that growth could shorten the interval between the 1937 Inskip Award and the completed transfer in 1939. Tenders would also encourage a change in aircraft requirements: an aircraft supported from sheltered water did not have to fit aboard its supporting ship. The US progression from smaller floatplanes toward Catalina-sized aircraft illustrates that possibility.
Notable Point · 54:00-56:56
How a tender fleet could strengthen the case for naval air control
A larger Fleet Air Arm could weaken the argument for keeping it inside the RAF and increase demand for long-range patrol aircraft.