At the Monarch Airport, Bob Ames (Frank Albertson) is excited his new flight school to train future military pilots, is ready to open. His partner, "Trip Hammer" (William Gargan), tells him that financing has come from Bob's girl friend, Kitty Randall (Peggy Moran)and her father. Kitty is currently taking flying lessons from Trip.

Trip gets a phone call from Bob's brother, Captain Rodcliffe "Rocky" Ames (Edmund Lowe), a World War I hero now a soldier of fortune, who agrees to help with the flying school, in exchange for Trip taking care of his gambling debts in New York. Trip convinces Bob that the school needs Rocky's name to attract customers, as well as a government training contract.

Trip is right, the school begins attracting students from across the country, but Rocky has immediately annoyed Bob when he flirts with Kitty. Rocky takes Kitty up for a flying lesson, but he is be forced to make a sensational landing when Kitty breaks off a wheel during a simulated forced landing.

With the cadets begin flying training, Bob provides the classroom instruction, Trip the mechanics, and Rocky the flight training. The top student is Newton Adams (Frankie Thomas), Rocky's long-lost son. Trip found out the secret and agrees to keep it to himself. Problems soon arise with Newton having a hard time learning to fly from Rocky, who also is jilted when Kitty declares he is "old enough to be her father."

With "Pinkie" Taylor (John Maxwell), a government inspector on the premises, a future aircraft design contract is in jeopardy with Rocky considering quitting to fight in China. Trip accuses him of running away from every responsibility he has ever had and the next morning, a drunken Rocky returns to the flight school.

Later, Rocky flies Bob's new experimental design but fears the aircraft is unsafe. If equipped with a parachute to stop spins, it could be made safe to fly. Newton, trying to prove himself to his father, takes the experimental aircraft up. Trip breaks the news to Rocky that the boy is his son. Realizing that inexperienced pilots will die in a spin, Rocky flies to his son, tells him by radio, how to activate the spin 'chute, but Rocky is distracted and crashes.

Bob later redesigns his aircraft to be safe and receives a contract from the United States Army Air Corps. Newton graduates, and, with other cadets, goes to enlist at air bases. Rocky recovers from his injuries and is finally reunited with his wife Mary (Louise Lorimer).