The Flying Fleet

They’ve gone through four years at the U.S. Naval Academy, but the sea is not the calling for all Annapolis grads. Pals who call themselves the Flying Six yearn for the skies, to be aloft as navy pilots. That means some 50 weeks of additional training to see if they can realize their dreams. Not all of them will. Between the Oscar-winning Wings and the Talkies Hell’s Angels and The Dawn Patrol came The Flying Fleet, a silent with music and sound effects, noted for its authentic depiction of naval flight training. Ramon Novarro and Ralph Graves portray hopeful flyboys and romantic rivals who fall for the same girl (Anita Page). Frank Wead (the biopic subject of John Wayne’s The Wings of Eagles) co-authors the story.