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Double Ace: The Life of Robert Lee Scott Jr., Pilot, Hero, and Teller of Tall Tales
Robert Lee Scott was larger than life. A decorated Eagle Scout who barely graduated from high school, the young man from Macon, Georgia, with an oversize personality used dogged determination to achieve his childhood dream of becoming a famed fighter pilot. In Double Ace, veteran biographer Robert Coram, himself a Georgia man, provides readers with an unprecedented look at the defining characteristics that made "Scotty" a uniquely American hero.
First capturing national attention during World War II, Scott, a West Point graduate, flew missions in China alongside the legendary "Flying Tigers," where his reckless courage and victories against the enemy made headlines. Upon returning home, Scott's memoir, brashly titled God is My Co-Pilot, became an instant bestseller, a successful film, and one of the most important books of its time. Later in life, as a retired military general, Scott continued to add to his list of accomplishments. He traveled the entire length of China's Great Wall and helped found Georgia's Museum of Aviation, which still welcomes 400,000 annual visitors.
Yet Scott's life was not without difficulty. His single-minded pursuit of greatness was offset by debilitating bouts of depression, and his brashness placed him at odds with superior officers, wreaking havoc on his career. What wealth he gained he squandered, and his numerous public affairs destroyed his relationships with his wife and child.
Backed by meticulous research, Double Ace brings Scott's uniquely American character to life and captures his fascinating exploits as a national hero alongside his frustrating foibles.
First capturing national attention during World War II, Scott, a West Point graduate, flew missions in China alongside the legendary "Flying Tigers," where his reckless courage and victories against the enemy made headlines. Upon returning home, Scott's memoir, brashly titled God is My Co-Pilot, became an instant bestseller, a successful film, and one of the most important books of its time. Later in life, as a retired military general, Scott continued to add to his list of accomplishments. He traveled the entire length of China's Great Wall and helped found Georgia's Museum of Aviation, which still welcomes 400,000 annual visitors.
Yet Scott's life was not without difficulty. His single-minded pursuit of greatness was offset by debilitating bouts of depression, and his brashness placed him at odds with superior officers, wreaking havoc on his career. What wealth he gained he squandered, and his numerous public affairs destroyed his relationships with his wife and child.
Backed by meticulous research, Double Ace brings Scott's uniquely American character to life and captures his fascinating exploits as a national hero alongside his frustrating foibles.
324 pages, Hardcover
Published August 23, 2016
10 people are currently reading
288 people want to read
About the author
Robert Coram
27 books92 followersRobert Coram is the author of three nonfiction books and seven novels. He lives in Atlanta.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 10, 2026
I have to admit that, although I have read many books about World War II, I did not know anything about General Robert Lee Scott. I think today he is most famous as the author of "God Is My Co-Pilot" but I have not read the book--or seen the movie. So this book was a fascinating one for me, presenting the life of an authentic American war hero. Scott was a Georgia man, who, even as a boy, was determined to fly. He achieved that dream. When war came, he was sent to India and made it to China to fly with the famed "Flying Tigers"--the American Volunteer Group (AVG) flying for Nationalist China against the Japanese. When the AVG was dissolved and the 23rd Fighter Group was set up in China, Colonel Scott was made its commander. He also became a "double ace" with thirteen enemy planes shot down and credited to him, with nine probables that he believed should have been credited to him. It was when he was transferred back to the States to lead the training program for new pilots that he wrote the book that became a big best-seller- "God Is My Co-Pilot." Following the war, he was finally able to achieve a second childhood dream. As a retired general, he traveled the entire length of the Great Wall of China. And, as a final accomplishment, he helped found the Museum of Aviation in his home state of Georgia.
August 5, 2018
I wonder if boys and young men still read GOD IS MY CO-PILOT and dream of becoming pilots. Several generations of youngsters did. I was one of them. Robert Lee Scott Jr.'s wartime book about flying P-40s against the Japanese with the famed Flying Tigers was possibly the most popular and famous war memoir published during the conflict, and its popularity was such that it remains in print 75 years later. As a boy, I read and re-read it until the binding cracked, and 55 years later I still remember passages from it. I have a copy today, signed by General Scott. As a result of his exploits and his book which told and augmented them, Scott became possibly the most famous American fighter pilot of all time. He also became famed for the sometimes fabulistic nature of his stories, stories which grew in drama and color with each telling. While no one denied Scott's bravery and very real contributions both to the fight against Japan and to the prestige of the U.S. Army Air Forces, some of his fellow flyers found cause to question some of the accomplishments he described for himself, and some found fault in how he made himself the face of the Flying Tigers without ever actually having been one. The legend of Robert L. Scott Jr. looms large even now, and it was with very real interest that I read this biography of the man by Robert Coram. Coram writes well and exhaustively after deep and thorough research, and the picture he paints is of a great warrior with all-too human fallibilities. Scott was driven to succeed by a desire to please his mother, and his relationship with her transcended all others, even those with his wife and child. His passion to become a flyer and his wild success at doing so are undeniable. Some of the stories he told about those successes are less undeniable. But Scott succeeded in publicizing the little-known corner of World War II known as the China-Burma-India theatre and was wonderfully effective at helping win that portion of the war through both his combat skills and his ability to marshal support from the American public for the great Flying Tiger commander Claire Chennault and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek, leader of China. Scott wasn't a good husband or father, and his whoppers grew larger the more he told them. In John Ford's film THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE, a famed dictum decrees, "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." This fine biography depicts, warts and all, a man who made himself a legend and who, despite the non-legendary facts presented in this book, is likely to remain one.
June 10, 2017
I came into this book with high expectations having read the author's biographies of Victor Krulak and Bud Day and admired both of those books. I've given away multiple copies of the Bud Day biography and lent my copy out to three or four people.
However, despite meeting his subject and the typical thorough background research I can't help be note the author has some contempt for his subject and oddly enough, some contempt for the American south in general. Coram is from the America South and currently (per Google) lives in Atlanta. He recently wrote his memoir of growing up in the South and his very difficult childhood. Perhaps writing these two books near (or concurrently) had some influence on that. Growing up in the American Mid-west I've been on the edge of the American South. There were twenty-two American Civil War battles in my state and the county I live in is named after a Confederate General (the great Stonewall Jackson) so we can claim to be Southern but we're no where near her heart.
Scott was an imperfect man. His mother had high expectations for him and he worked very hard to meet those expectation but never could. He became an Eagle Scout and tells the story of how he had 73 merit badges and his mother wanted to know how many of the total possible there were (he said 75) and why he was missing those three?
Scott probably didn't have a great example of a close relationship between his parents and when he married was unable to build a close relationship with his wife as hurts and failures to communicate built up over the years they were together. It appears Scott likely cheated on his wife multiple times.
Scott was a good story teller and didn't necessarily let the truth stand in the way of a good story. He needed to be liked and validated and telling a good story got him that validation. But never the validation he wanted from his mother. Nevertheless, the truth of what Scott did in his life is impressive. After spending some time training young pilots to fly in CA and building some Hollywood connections, he managed to get sent to the China/Burma theater of war. He is at least a double ace (officially credited with 13 air kills during the war with ten probables, later on review the kill number was dropped to ten). He helped lead the Flying Tigers and got along with the China's leaders against the Japanese (Chang kai-shek). After being called by the the States and sent on a moral/bond raising tour, he wrote God is My Co-Pilot by dictating stories of his time in China into a Dictaphone recorder for three days. A book had never come together this quickly and it went on to become a best seller. He was able to leverage his Hollywood connections to sell the story for a movie as well.
Later in life Scott fulfilled a life-long dream by wrangling his way into China and then walking from one end of the Great Wall of China to the other. He wasn't able to get official permission but just went for it and did it. The Chinese ended up sending people to follow him and make sure he didn't get in trouble and he commissioned a memorial to Claire Lee Chennault (also named for Robert E. Lee) his immediate superior and head of the Flying Tigers. After his wife passed away and he struggled with depression he ended up moving back home to Georgia and helping turn a small base museum into one of the biggest Air Force museums in the nations thanks to his star power and jovial story telling ability that won donors and volunteers over.
At the end of the day Scott's professional and personal imperfections are overshadowed by his accomplishments. Many Air Force pilots were moved to become flyers after reading Scott's book and it still remains in print after all these years. However, nothing you do will ever really make up for broken family relationships.
However, despite meeting his subject and the typical thorough background research I can't help be note the author has some contempt for his subject and oddly enough, some contempt for the American south in general. Coram is from the America South and currently (per Google) lives in Atlanta. He recently wrote his memoir of growing up in the South and his very difficult childhood. Perhaps writing these two books near (or concurrently) had some influence on that. Growing up in the American Mid-west I've been on the edge of the American South. There were twenty-two American Civil War battles in my state and the county I live in is named after a Confederate General (the great Stonewall Jackson) so we can claim to be Southern but we're no where near her heart.
Scott was an imperfect man. His mother had high expectations for him and he worked very hard to meet those expectation but never could. He became an Eagle Scout and tells the story of how he had 73 merit badges and his mother wanted to know how many of the total possible there were (he said 75) and why he was missing those three?
Scott probably didn't have a great example of a close relationship between his parents and when he married was unable to build a close relationship with his wife as hurts and failures to communicate built up over the years they were together. It appears Scott likely cheated on his wife multiple times.
Scott was a good story teller and didn't necessarily let the truth stand in the way of a good story. He needed to be liked and validated and telling a good story got him that validation. But never the validation he wanted from his mother. Nevertheless, the truth of what Scott did in his life is impressive. After spending some time training young pilots to fly in CA and building some Hollywood connections, he managed to get sent to the China/Burma theater of war. He is at least a double ace (officially credited with 13 air kills during the war with ten probables, later on review the kill number was dropped to ten). He helped lead the Flying Tigers and got along with the China's leaders against the Japanese (Chang kai-shek). After being called by the the States and sent on a moral/bond raising tour, he wrote God is My Co-Pilot by dictating stories of his time in China into a Dictaphone recorder for three days. A book had never come together this quickly and it went on to become a best seller. He was able to leverage his Hollywood connections to sell the story for a movie as well.
Later in life Scott fulfilled a life-long dream by wrangling his way into China and then walking from one end of the Great Wall of China to the other. He wasn't able to get official permission but just went for it and did it. The Chinese ended up sending people to follow him and make sure he didn't get in trouble and he commissioned a memorial to Claire Lee Chennault (also named for Robert E. Lee) his immediate superior and head of the Flying Tigers. After his wife passed away and he struggled with depression he ended up moving back home to Georgia and helping turn a small base museum into one of the biggest Air Force museums in the nations thanks to his star power and jovial story telling ability that won donors and volunteers over.
At the end of the day Scott's professional and personal imperfections are overshadowed by his accomplishments. Many Air Force pilots were moved to become flyers after reading Scott's book and it still remains in print after all these years. However, nothing you do will ever really make up for broken family relationships.
March 25, 2024
I listened to this book because I enjoy Coram’s storytelling. I found this story to be a sad story of what happens to your life when you misplaced your priorities.
March 8, 2017
Interesting book that reveals much about not only the person, Colonel Robert Lee Scott, Jr., but about much of the mindset about aviation in the years prior to WWII.
The fact that Scott was able to "bugle" (talking about what you don't have an answer for) his way around and through the bureaucracy of the Army Air Corps and later the Army Air Force to achieve his goals is amazing itself. The red tape, the jealousy, stubbornness and rivalry amongst some of the most prominent leaders of the military and government is astounding. It is a wonder that we won WWII!
Scott in every way lives up to the title, "Pilot, Hero, and Teller of Tall Tales." His tally of flying hours was outstanding and flew everything in the inventory in his career, from biplanes to the F100 Super Sabre jet. The story of his walk along the Great Wall of China is just another fascinating part of his story.
He actually wasn't a aviator with the "Flying Tigers" but upon his arrival in China in 1942 he flew with them and learned their tactics and strategy (Chennault) which he later applied to his command, the Twenty-third Fighter Group. Another interesting fact, the AVG did not fight for China before the US entry into WWII. I was gobsmacked, the unit was active from December 19, 1941 to some time in the spring/summer of 1942. I guess John Wayne got it wrong!
Scott's book, "God is my Co-Pilot", is still in print. But this biography is highly recommended.
The fact that Scott was able to "bugle" (talking about what you don't have an answer for) his way around and through the bureaucracy of the Army Air Corps and later the Army Air Force to achieve his goals is amazing itself. The red tape, the jealousy, stubbornness and rivalry amongst some of the most prominent leaders of the military and government is astounding. It is a wonder that we won WWII!
Scott in every way lives up to the title, "Pilot, Hero, and Teller of Tall Tales." His tally of flying hours was outstanding and flew everything in the inventory in his career, from biplanes to the F100 Super Sabre jet. The story of his walk along the Great Wall of China is just another fascinating part of his story.
He actually wasn't a aviator with the "Flying Tigers" but upon his arrival in China in 1942 he flew with them and learned their tactics and strategy (Chennault) which he later applied to his command, the Twenty-third Fighter Group. Another interesting fact, the AVG did not fight for China before the US entry into WWII. I was gobsmacked, the unit was active from December 19, 1941 to some time in the spring/summer of 1942. I guess John Wayne got it wrong!
Scott's book, "God is my Co-Pilot", is still in print. But this biography is highly recommended.
April 14, 2025
This is a very fine biography of Robert L. Scott, the author of the best selling “God is My Co-Pilot.” The author manages to capture the compelling life story of the man from his humble origins in Macon, Georgia, through his early service in the Air Corps (to include flying the mail in 1934). Scott, though over aged for combat operations, managed to wangle his way into active service in the China-Burma-India theater, where he earned the nickname “One Man Air Force” for his solo exploits. Author Robert Coram gives Scott his due as a brave and skilled pilot and accomplished storyteller, while not neglecting his less admirable qualities. Scott never let the truth get in the way of a good story, and by the end of his life seemed unable to separate fact from fiction when it came to his own life story. I have met a number of retired senior USAF officers over the years who praised Scott for inspiring generations of aviators, while in the next breath damning him for inflating his flying hours and his aerial victory tally. He all but deserted his wife and daughter in pursuit of the fast life. He found a measure of redemption in his final act, serving as fundraiser and spokesman for what became a major aviation museum in Georgia.
February 19, 2017
"All I ever wanted to do was fly, fly, fly." Before reading this biography I was vaguely aware of "God Is My Copilot." A movie? A book? But I knew nothing about the man who might have inspired the theme. Five was the number of enemy aircraft that a pilot needed to shoot down in order to become an Ace in World War II. Scott shot down 13 Japanese planes, although he claimed 22. His book and the movie resulting from his Flying Tiger exploits in China provided inspiration to many young Americans enamored by flying and piloting, yet Scott's life story is a muddled one. With the popularity of the movie and book, the Air Force assigned him to help promote recruitment. It went to his head. He began to exaggerate the truth, tell tall tales and become full of himself. Author puts Scott's life into perspective with exemplary digging into previously unknown facts. Book held my interest although I debated whether to rate it four stars or five. Scott died at age 97 after helping importantly to establish the Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia.
November 22, 2024
Robert Coram is a great author who has chosen relatively unknown figures from military history as his book subjects. By far, my favorite is Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War. Robert Lee Scott Jr sounds like he would have been a pleasure to speak with. However, it seems that he is less impactful than Boyd or Krulak (subjects of his other books). Scott had an interesting life, and his early flying years demonstrate why practice and taking advantage of any opportunity can lead to massive success later in life. All the other pilots thought he was an idiot for volunteering for a study to teach "instrument" flying, yet it would save his life later and give him the opportunity to get more flying hours than anyone else. He led a charmed life.
October 4, 2020
very excellent about WW 2 pilot
April 2, 2021
The writing was good and the story told well. I just couldn't like Scott.
April 7, 2021
Robert Lee Scott was an amazing pilot but left a lot to be desired as a man, husband, and father! But I really liked the way this book was written!
September 7, 2021
An interesting read.
July 11, 2023
What an S.O.B.! Scott, not Coram. The book is great.
September 25, 2025
Evidently Scott was a self centered, self licking ice cream cone but he still accomplished what few have or are capable off.
November 23, 2016
Robert Lee Scott Jr. was an enigmatic, colorful and often frustrating individual. He was an ace pilot who shot down at least 10 Japanese planes in World War II and a larger-than-life figure due to his book and movie “God is My Co-Pilot,” a huge best-seller and blockbuster film during the 1940s. Scott was also prone to embellishment and myth-making in the true good-old-boy style of the Old South.
No one captures his country charm and forge-ahead-at-all-costs attitude better than Robert Coram in his new book “Double Ace: Robert Lee Scott Jr., Pilot, Hero, and Teller of Tall Tales.” It is an intriguing, witty and entertaining biography of a true hero who pursued his dreams even at the cost of his loved ones and perhaps the truth.
Pushed to fame by an overbearing mother, Scott soared to success in China during the early days of the war when most other American forces were suffering horrible defeats. He made headlines as squadron commander of the former Flying Tigers unit and gave the country hope during those dark days. He would later be promoted to general, become a much-desired speaker, write more books, help build a major aviation museum and achieve his lifelong dream of walking the entire length of the Great Wall of China. Maybe. We only have his word and that can be suspect.
Coram does a wonderful job in detailing Scott’s life and adventures, linking his boldness and imagination to the Southern tradition of taking unbelievable risks (“Y’all hold my beer and watch this” is a frequent sentiment in this book). He captures the essence and spirit of his fellow Georgian who did as much to inspire young men to become pilots as perhaps the Wright brothers.
“Double Ace: Robert Lee Scott Jr., Pilot, Hero, and Teller of Tall Tales” is a great book about an amazing man: war hero, patriot, leader, aviator and story-teller supreme. Well-written and immensely enjoyable!
No one captures his country charm and forge-ahead-at-all-costs attitude better than Robert Coram in his new book “Double Ace: Robert Lee Scott Jr., Pilot, Hero, and Teller of Tall Tales.” It is an intriguing, witty and entertaining biography of a true hero who pursued his dreams even at the cost of his loved ones and perhaps the truth.
Pushed to fame by an overbearing mother, Scott soared to success in China during the early days of the war when most other American forces were suffering horrible defeats. He made headlines as squadron commander of the former Flying Tigers unit and gave the country hope during those dark days. He would later be promoted to general, become a much-desired speaker, write more books, help build a major aviation museum and achieve his lifelong dream of walking the entire length of the Great Wall of China. Maybe. We only have his word and that can be suspect.
Coram does a wonderful job in detailing Scott’s life and adventures, linking his boldness and imagination to the Southern tradition of taking unbelievable risks (“Y’all hold my beer and watch this” is a frequent sentiment in this book). He captures the essence and spirit of his fellow Georgian who did as much to inspire young men to become pilots as perhaps the Wright brothers.
“Double Ace: Robert Lee Scott Jr., Pilot, Hero, and Teller of Tall Tales” is a great book about an amazing man: war hero, patriot, leader, aviator and story-teller supreme. Well-written and immensely enjoyable!
September 6, 2016
This is the bio of a slacker who flunked his senior year in high school, got into West Point through the back door, graduated at the bottom of his class, became a pilot, war hero, and raconteur par excellence, was promoted to brigadier general because his fishing buddy, General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower, pulled some strings to get him into War College, and turned what was little more than a roadside attraction into a world-class air museum.
It is also about a hero-worshipper, the hero being Claire Chennault, a schemer, a conniver, and who, along with Chennault, Chiang Kai-shek, and Madame Chiang conspired to undermine and then sabotage the career of General Joseph "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell, the only WWII theater commander not to have been awarded a fifth star. Stilwell was given an impossible job to do with hand-me-down equipment, put under the thumb of Chiang, who was more interested in stockpiling the arms the US sent him for his upcoming battle with Mao's communists than using them to fight the Japanese, and whose thanks was to be relieved of his command.
Scott's story is a great one to be sure, but it does not endear him to its reader. Scott, author of "God is My Co-Pilot", a book that inspired thousands of young men to become pilots, led a charmed life wherein even bad decisions worked out better for him than had he made the right ones. The reader gets the impression that God was not only his co-pilot, but his personal guardian angel as well.
It is also about a hero-worshipper, the hero being Claire Chennault, a schemer, a conniver, and who, along with Chennault, Chiang Kai-shek, and Madame Chiang conspired to undermine and then sabotage the career of General Joseph "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell, the only WWII theater commander not to have been awarded a fifth star. Stilwell was given an impossible job to do with hand-me-down equipment, put under the thumb of Chiang, who was more interested in stockpiling the arms the US sent him for his upcoming battle with Mao's communists than using them to fight the Japanese, and whose thanks was to be relieved of his command.
Scott's story is a great one to be sure, but it does not endear him to its reader. Scott, author of "God is My Co-Pilot", a book that inspired thousands of young men to become pilots, led a charmed life wherein even bad decisions worked out better for him than had he made the right ones. The reader gets the impression that God was not only his co-pilot, but his personal guardian angel as well.
February 8, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. The author did a real good job sharing the facts and fiction of a great WW II fighter pilot. I didn't realize the close ties we used to have with china and the efforts in India.
September 19, 2016
The life of one of my early heros (God Is My Copilot) who, it turns out, was next to last in his Hudson High class, was a consummate self-promoting fighter pilot who flew every chance he got and was constantly at odds with his superiors except Chennault (also a maverick).
October 2, 2016
Great book. Tells the story of a hero who was a bit of a maverick. But lot of heros were/are people who mostly play by the rules but are not shy about doing what they feel should be done in any given situation. Well written, hard to put down.
September 7, 2017
Pretty funny World war 2 story about a good ol' southern boy.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews