"Crimson test Tube", "Supersonic Test Tube" and "Flying Stove Pipe" were just some of the nicknames bestowed upon the D-558-1 over the years. Skystreak was the popular name given by the Douglas Aircraft Company. The Skystreak, sponsored by the U.S. Navy and NACA, was charged with exploring flight in the transonic region. Aircraft manufacturers had been making aircraft for some time capable of reaching the onset of transonic flight, where a phenomenon known as compressibility lay waiting.