The D-558-II was first flown on Feb. 4, 1948, by John Martin, a Douglas test pilot.  An NACA pilot, Scott Crossfield, became the first person to fly faster than twice the speed of sound when he piloted the D-558-II to its maximum speed of Mach 2.005 (1,291 mph) at 62,000 feet altitude on Nov. 20, 1953.