 In 1951, Douglas test pilot Bill Bridgeman flew the Skyrocket to a top speed of and a peak altitude of .Then, in 1953, Marine Corps test pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Marion Carl, flew the same plane to an altitude of .On 20 November 1951, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics' Scott Crossfield became the first man to reach Mach 2 as he piloted the Skyrocket to a speed of .