Who picks a base because it is close to his girlfriend?
Soon after the US enters World War II, Steve Britt, a former World War I flying ace, arrives at Thunderbird Field, looking for a job as a civilian primary flight instructor. The base commander is an old friend, Lt. Col. "Mac" MacDonald, working with Squadron Leader Barrett (Reginald Denny, himself a World War I aerial observer), who is in charge of the Royal Air Force cadets at the base.
Steve says he wants the job because he is too old for combat and the war will be won by pilots trained on bases like Thunderbird, but it is soon clear that he chose this base because his former girlfriend, Kay Saunders, lives nearby with her grandfather, retired Colonel Cyrus "Gramps" Saunders, also a close friend of Steve's.
Steve immediately flies to their ranch and performs stunts over a water tank where Kay is bathing, blowing her robe away and then dropping her his flying coveralls. When he lands, she seems miffed, but responds to his passionate kiss of greeting. Kay is still very fond of him, but no longer deeply in love.
Steve is introduced to the new class of RAF cadets, including Peter Stackhouse, whose father Steve knew. Mac warns Steve to "wash them out fast" if cadets cannot meet the requirements. Peter flies clumsily and is sick from acrophobia. After three such failures, Steve tries to persuade Peter to transfer, but Peter is confident he can overcome what he calls his "conditional reflex", and asks for more time.
Steve Britt