Aircraft numbers had not been limited by treaty, but funding for them had fallen off after World War I and slowly recovered through the 1920s.  The decade was also a golden age for aviation generally, when improvements were made in aircraft, instrumentation, and weaponry, and aviators were regularly making “record breaking” flights.  In January 1934 a squadron of six Consolidated P2Y-1 airplanes set a record for flying in formation from San Francisco to Honolulu in 24 hours and 35 minutes.  The achievement was hailed as an important demonstration of the Navy’s ability to respond quickly to attacks on Pacific bases.