 As aviation films in the 1930s were increasingly finding it difficult to create the spectacular crashes that were often a feature of earlier periods, not only was safety a factor but also the number of war-weary aircraft that had been the staple of the time, were becoming harder to find.A Fokker D. VII that had flown in "Hell's Angels" (1930), was refurbished by Mantz and appeared in "West Point of the Air".Produced in an era of an America unprepared for war, and in the wake of the Air Corps' loss of prestige in the "Air Mail Fiasco" of the year before, "West Point of the Air" was recognized for its value as a "recruiting poster" for the military.