Springtime Flying in the Rockies by Craig Kodera

The 1930s. Biplanes, open cockpits, the smell of oil and leather . . . those inimitable sights and sounds of flying in the "Golden Age" of aviation. With the exception of World War II, no other period of time has yielded such exciting times nor as many advances in technology as the span of years between the wars. Radio was in everyone's living room, film was the great escapist art form, FDR was president and the fledgling Army Air Corps was being led by such captains as Eaker, Arnold and Lemay. Fast flying was the order of the day. The biplane was the first line of defense of the skies. The Army offered a place to live and paid each pilot $75 monthly to fly their airplanes. The world was taking a breather from war but you knew that every day was practice for the next "big" one.