The little salaried worker Otto Groschenbügel, or Quax, wins free training as a sport pilot in a contest; over night, he gains fame in his little home town, Dünkelstätt. Now, Quax no longer has a choice: he must successfully complete the course, even if a swaggerer advises him to give up on the first day of flight school. Not feeling particularly sure of himself, he luckily meets the kind Marianne, who gladly bails the "Bruchpilot" out. Again and again he escapes getting kicked out of the school by a hairsbreadth; but even the time for pranks has to end. After much reflection, Quax in time becomes a disciplined pilot. For this reason, he impresses Marianne as well as his comrades: at the end of his schooling, he is more than just a flight instructor.