NASA, then known as NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics), had a hand in the project, as did the Bureau of Aeronautics with the U.S. Navy. The Douglas Aircraft Company was tasked with its construction at El Segundo, and the first of them was built in February 1947.
The Skystreak was intended, essentially, to go faster than almost any aircraft had gone before. Raw speed, however, had to be balanced with safety concerns. To this end, the aircraft included an emergency ejector device in the nose rather than a more conventional seat. Its engine was the hefty Allison J35-A-11, a powerhouse that sadly did not prove reliable in the long term: In May 1948, a broken component of the engine damaged the controls mid-flight, leading to a crash that killed Skystreak pilot Howard Clifton Lilly.
The Skystreak’s time in service was marred by tragedy, but it also proved highly significant for the industry. Skystreak beat world record speeds not once, but twice.
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