RL Scott, flying ace

RETIRED Brigadier General Robert L Scott, the World War II flying ace who told of his exploits in the China-Burma-India theatre in his book ‘God is My Co-Pilot’, has died.

He was 97. The Georgia-born Scott rose to nationwide prominence during World War II as a fighter ace in the skies over Asia, then with his best-selling 1943 book, made into a 1945 movie starring Dennis Morgan as Scott.Among his other books were ‘The Day I Owned the Sky’ and ‘Flying Tiger: Chennault of China’.Scott won three Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Silver Stars and five Air Medals.He shot down 22 enemy planes with his P-40 Warhawk.Scott’s story is the stuff of aviation legend: He flew a homemade glider off the roof of a three-story house at age 12 and crash landed on a spiky rose bush.At 33, Scott was considered too old for combat and was still at a training job in California when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour and the US entered the war in December of that year.But then came a phone call.”One night about 3 a.m., the phone rang.A man asked ‘did you ever fly a B-17’, Scott said in a 1996 interview.”So I said yes, I have flown a B-17.But I never had.I got my airplane and went to work.”- Nampa-APThe Georgia-born Scott rose to nationwide prominence during World War II as a fighter ace in the skies over Asia, then with his best-selling 1943 book, made into a 1945 movie starring Dennis Morgan as Scott.Among his other books were ‘The Day I Owned the Sky’ and ‘Flying Tiger: Chennault of China’.Scott won three Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Silver Stars and five Air Medals.He shot down 22 enemy planes with his P-40 Warhawk.Scott’s story is the stuff of aviation legend: He flew a homemade glider off the roof of a three-story house at age 12 and crash landed on a spiky rose bush.At 33, Scott was considered too old for combat and was still at a training job in California when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour and the US entered the war in December of that year.But then came a phone call.”One night about 3 a.m., the phone rang.A man asked ‘did you ever fly a B-17’, Scott said in a 1996 interview.”So I said yes, I have flown a B-17.But I never had.I got my airplane and went to work.”- Nampa-AP