Lt. Gen. Joseph Harold Moore, who set a world speed record in an F-105 in 1959, died Dec. 27 at age 92 from lung cancer, reports Associated Press news service. The 34-year Air Force veteran achieved the speed record while serving as commander of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing, flying at 1,216 mph on a 100-kilometer closed course. A Florence, Tex., native, Moore entered aviation cadet training in 1937 at Randolph Field, Tex., before being sent to the Philippines at the outset of World War II. In 1964, he assumed command of the 2nd Air Division in Vietnam and later served as vice commander of Pacific Air Forces. He retired in 1971.
The 301st Fighter Wing in Fort Worth, Texas, became the first standalone Reserve unit in the Air Force to get its own F-35s, welcoming the first fighter Nov. 5.