Flight Angels

Ace pilot Chick Faber undergoes a routine flight physical that reveals his eyesight is failing. The diagnosis stops him from flying and forces him to reassess his career. The grounding sets the stage for new roles and hidden ambitions.

Flight Superintendent Graves persuades Chick to take a job as a teacher in the airline's stewardess training program. He continues to be involved with aviation even while grounded. This new role introduces him to a different world of the industry.

While remaining at the airline, Chick, together with engineer Artie Dixon, works on the design of a secret research aircraft he calls the 'stratosphere ship'. The project promises to revolutionize aviation by flying higher and faster than existing craft. The dual track of teaching and building creates tension.

Chick Faber marries Mary Norvell, strengthening his ties to the airline world. The couple face the restrictive nature of Chick's teaching assignment and growing restlessness about his future. Their wedding becomes a turning point in his personal life.

The life in the classroom and steady duties feel restrictive to Chick. He grows increasingly eager to return to his secret project and take real action on the stratosphere ship. His restlessness foreshadows a bold, risky plan.

Chick learns that the US Army Air Corps will test his aircraft, but permission is refused because of his failing eyesight. The denial blocks the formal path to a first flight and deepens his frustration. The dream of official validation remains out of reach.

Late one night, Chick takes off privately to test the stratosphere ship despite warnings. He pushes the aircraft into a dangerous high-speed dive, and windows blow in as he loses consciousness briefly. He crash-lands back at his base, narrowly surviving the ordeal.

Overwhelmed by the risks, Chick gives up his pilot's license and leaves his wife to join a newly formed Chinese mercenary air force fighting Japan. The drastic choice marks a turning point in his career and personal life. The story then pivots back toward the US for the sake of keeping the secret.

Air Corps officers intercept Chick in San Francisco and persuade him to return to active duty. The government wants to keep the stratosphere ship secret in American hands. The mission pulls him back into the military fold.

Graves rearranges Mary's schedule and sends her to San Antonio, where she meets Chick again. He has returned as a flight instructor at Randolph Field, showing that life has moved forward in unexpected ways. The couple are unintentionally separated and then reunited by circumstance.

Chick and Mary are reunited at work and home, sharing a sense that things will turn out all right. The long road to balancing duty, ambition, and family ends on a hopeful note. The story closes with them grounded in each other's lives, if not in the air.

Throughout the various turns, the key objective is to keep the stratosphere ship secret within the United States. The military and Graves ensure the project stays under control even as Chick navigates personal upheaval. The aircraft development remains a cornerstone of the plot.