Joe W. Ozier 1924-1957

Joseph W. Ozier was born in Hollis, Okla., in 1924 and began his aviation career as a fighter pilot in the Pacific Theater of World War II. He graduated from Northrop Aero Institute in 1950 and joined Lockheed in 1951 as a production test pilot. In 1954 he became an engineering test pilot and was a test pilot for the F-104 Starfighter, the first operational supersonic fighter, manufactured by Lockheed.He flew more hours testing the Starfighter than any other pilot and was considered the fastest pilot in the world when he was tragically killed in 1957 during a landing accident of the YF-104 at Palmdale. He was aged 33