A young man starts a Royal Air Force flying training course. Keeping a diary of his progress, he recounts the frequently hilarious social life of his fellow trainee pilots, his own anxieties and lack of confidence, as well as the acute pressures of the training. His confidence grows as the course becomes increasingly tense and he takes charge of ever-more expensive machines. He and his fellow trainees are no supermen, they have bad days at work and at times struggle to achieve the required standards. As the diary progresses, play matches work in energy and fervour with sometimes riotous results. This is the three-year journey of an ordinary man being trained to do an extraordinary job.