By THOMAS GNAU | Dayton Daily News, Ohio | Published: April 23, 2021 DAYTON, Ohio (Tribune News Service) On April 3, Lt. Gen. Harry Goldsworthy, the man considered to be the oldest living retired air force general in the world, celebrated his 107th birthday. In a career that spanned some 34 years, from 1939, when Goldsworthy was accepted for flight training with the Army Air Corps, to retirement in 1973, what was his favorite assignment? According to an account by WarHistoryOnline.com, it was Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. There, he commanded the Aeronautical Systems Division, where he helped draw up specifications for the F-15 Eagle fighter. In his career, Goldsworthy flew over 30 different aircraft, the web site in a recent piece on Goldsworthy. He received the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit and the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters.
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F-15 ACTIVE: This Frankenstein Fighter Was Better Than the F-15 Eagle
NASA s ACTIVE program resulted in a Frankenstein fighter with a variety of components and systems that managed to make the legendary F-15 even better.
The F-15 has long been a legendary fighter, but NASA’s ACTIVE program aimed to make it even better. Faced with the looming threat of nuclear war with the Soviet Union, the United States began testing next-generation capabilities before the 10th F-15 even rolled off the assembly line.
In the 44 years since the F-15 Eagle first entered service, the air superiority fighter has proven its combat mettle time and time again, racking up an astonishing 104 kills against enemy fighters without ever losing a bout. Today, the twin-engined F-15 remains the fastest fighter in the American stable with a top speed of Mach 2.5 that eclipses both its super-computing younger sisters, the F-22 and F-35.