Spitfire ace dies at 99 just before final flight

ONE of the last Spitfire aces of the Second World War has died aged 99, just before his planned final flight on his 100th birthday.

Squadron Leader Allan Scott took a flight in one of the planes to mark the centenary of the RAF in 2018, and had hoped to do so again to celebrate his own 100th birthday.

Mr Scott, who lived for many years in Wem, Shropshire, had won the Distinguished Flying Medal for his operations as a fighter pilot but, friends said, he always remained humble about his role in the Second World War. His exploits as a Spitfire pilot were charted in a book, Born to Survive, and he also featured in a film about the aircraft he loved.

Mr Scott was posted to the Battle of Britain airfield of Biggin Hill in 1941 with 124 Squadron, before being sent to Malta, which was under siege with continual raids by the Luftwaffe.

Speaking about the aircraft a few years ago Mr Scott said: “Flying a Spitfire to me was wonderful – it was a wonderful aircraft. When you fly it, it becomes part of you. It becomes an overcoat, you fly it instinctively.

“You don’t think about flying. You turn your head to go left and the aircraft follows you. It becomes part of you and, especially in combat, that is very useful.”

Ironically, his luck finally ran out while giving an aerobatic display in a Tiger Moth in Scotland in 1953 when a structural failure caused the plane to crash. He needed many operations to rebuild his shattered face.

Andy Perkins, a close friend, said: “He was a damn fine bloke.”