Sergeant "Big Mike" Stone, an Army flier stationed at Randolph Field, Texas, wants to make a man and an aviator out of his young son, "Little Mike," who has grown up with General Carter's son Phil and daughter Skip, his childhood sweetheart. Times passes, and Little Mike proves to be a fine student at West Point and becomes the star player on the Army football team. When Little Mike brings the Army team to victory against the Navy team, Big Mike is proud. The vampish Dare Marshall, also attending the football game, takes an immediate interest in the handsome player and manages to get Big Mike to introduce her to his son. A romance soon develops between Dare and Little Mike, much to the consternation of Skip, who is still in love with him. Following Little Mike's graduation from West Point and his return to Randolph Field with Dare to begin his flying career, General Carter tells Big Mike that what his impetuous son needs to make him a good flier is his father's strict military influence. Despite his father's reproof, Little Mike takes Dare out for an evening of fun the night before an important meeting with Army officials. When Phil crashes his airplane while trying to avoid Little Mike's car on the runway, the hard-boiled general immediately orders all the students into the air so that they do not lose their nerve. Skip and Little Mike visit Phil in the hospital, where they learn that he has had a leg amputated, and Little Mike blames himself for the tragedy. Later, during his flying test, Little Mike causes a mid-air collision, which disables his airplane and sends the other to its fiery demise. Big Mike, spotting signs of distress from his son's airplane, goes into the air and helps the crippled airplane land. Back on the ground, father and son have a quarrel over Big Mike's idea to cover up the incident, which culminates in the father punching his son. Little Mike swears he will never fly again, and Big Mike is dishonorably discharged from the service for attacking an officer. Time passes, and Little Mike tells his father, now a drunken airplane mechanic, that he plans to quit the Army, even though he has been assigned to a job as a flare dropper. Big Mike upbraids his son for running out on his fellow airmen, and vows to perform his son's duties in his stead with his rickety airplane. Dare supports Little Mike's decision to quit the Army, putting herself at odds with Skip, who lectures both of them on integrity and human decency. As promised, Big Mike takes over his son's job, and when his airplane crashes, Little Mike performs a daring underwater rescue to save his father. Having proven his valor, Big Mike is restored to his sergeancy and is given the honor of pinning his son with his flying wings at the graduation ceremony. Little Mike is then reconciled with his true love, Skip.