On August 25, 1947, with World War II Marine Corps ace Marion Carl at the controls, the Douglas D-558-1 Skystreak research aircraft took the official world speed record at 650.7 mph. Carl flew the Skystreak, painted a brilliant red and nicknamed the "Crimson Test Tube," at 1,310 feet over a 3-kilometer, closed-circuit course at Roger’s Dry Lake near Muroc, California. The Skystreak was built for the U.S. Navy to explore the problems faced by aircraft flying in the transonic region approaching the speed of sound.