‘I was one of the lucky ones’
He might be 97, but Squadron Leader Allan Scott still loves the feeling of soaring towards the clouds with
the wind in his hair. Allan is one of the last surviving Spitfire ace from the Second World War. Earlier this year, to celebrate the centenary of the RAF – which he served in for 35 years – he flew one of his beloved planes again and looped the loop over Biggin Hill airfield, in Kent, as part of its celebrations. ‘It’s like riding a bike,’ says the great-grandfather. ‘ You never forget how to fly a Spitfire. ‘I’m one of the lucky ones,’ Allan explains. The life expectancy for Spitfire pilots during the Battle of Britain was just four weeks. These days, remarkable Allan prefers to play down his part in the war effort. But he was just 21 when he earned a Distinguished Flying Medal for his part in defending Malta against the constant bombing.
Asked what he remembers of that time, he says, ‘It was the most bombed place on earth, it really was… Malta was a target the size of the Isle of Wight and they flattened it.’
In 1943, a young Allan was decorated by King George VI for his bravery.
After the war, he became a test pilot and has flown more than 80 types of aircraft.
Ironically, having survived everything the war threw at him, Allan’s luck nearly ran out while giving an aerobatic display in a Tiger Moth biplane in Scotland in 1953. A structural failure caused the plane to crash. He suffered serious injuries and needed many operations to rebuild his shattered face.
It was in the RAF he met his late wife, Pat, who he was married to for 65 years.
Allan, from Oxfordshire, still loves planes – ‘I can’t wait to get up there flying again in my beloved Spitfire. It’s a beautiful aircraft. It fits you like an overcoat,’ says Allan.
He hopes to be able to fly a Spitfire to celebrate his 100th birthday – in three years’ time. We hope you do too, Allan.
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