Very much endorsing this excellent write-up! Yes, the books are of their time, and the 20's and 30's were the worst of times in some respects. Later editions might be less shocking. But the flying, and especially the character arc through the First World War, are meticulously described and at the same time, edge-of-the-seat stuff. I've been reading those books since I was a child and the older I get, the more I see in them. Brilliant stuff.