With a bright gloss-red finish and not being much more than a long tube with wings, the D-558-1 earned affectionate nicknames such as “The Flying Stove Pipe” and “The Crimson Test Tube.” Later, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) changed the color of the Skystreaks to white in order to improve optical tracking and photography. The addition of 50-gallon (190-liter) wingtip tanks (shown here) increased the plane’s range from 490 miles to 833 miles (789 kilometers to 1,340 kilometers).