page_title: Wally Scott
section_title: Later life and death
hierarchical_section_title: Wally Scott / Later life and death
caption_attribution_description: Wally Scott in ASW-20 Sailplane Ready for Take-off
context_page_description: Wallace Aiken Scott was an American aviator and author, a holder of several international sailplane records, and a multi-time recipient of the Lewin B. Barringer trophy awarded for the longest, free-distance, sailplane flight of each year made in the United States. Over 36 years Wallace Wally Scott increased the distance flown in a sailplane.
  Scott became a pioneer of free-distance, straight-out, soaring flight and won 4 Fédération Aéronautique Internationale-certified, world soaring records, 20 Lewin B. Barringer Trophies, and numerous other awards and honors, including induction into the Soaring Hall of Fame in 1965.
  Scott flew various sailplanes more than 300,000 miles while twice winning the transcontinental Smirnoff Sailplane Derby race, the longest sailplane race in the world. On July 26, 1970, he and Ben Greene co-set the world distance record of 716.95 miles, both flying ASW-12 sailplanes.
context_section_description: In the late 1990s Scott mostly flew locally until January 7, 1999, when he underwent surgery on his knee. The surgery would weaken both his body and spirit. Scott was eventually diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and never flew again. On February 8, 2003, Scott died in Odessa, Texas, at the age of 78 after contracting pneumonia; he had flown nearly 7,000 hours and over 300,000 miles in sailplanes during his life.
caption: Wally Scott in his Schleicher ASW 20 sailplane
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