The AS.1 was a relatively basic and conventional design, possessing a parasol wing, a tailskid undercarriage and seating for two, the pilot and one passenger/trainee, in tandem open cockpits.

[1] The type proved to be extremely popular, and the production run would eventually extend to over 500 machines, with roughly half of these purchased by the Regia Aeronautica as trainers and liaison aircraft.

Directly behind the pilot' seat was a sizable baggage compartment, the variable weight of which could be easily offset via adjustments of the aircraft stabilizer.

[3] Structurally, the fuselage, wing and tail surfaces were all supported by a tubular framework made entirely of duralumin, save for numerous steel fittings.

[5] Favourable external visibility was provided by sizable windows at both the sides and front area of the cabin; specialised windshields were fitted that permitted both the pilot and passenger to stick their heads of the aircraft without being fully exposed to strong winds.

[6] The transverse frames and side walls of the fuselage were constructed in a manner that provided ample unobstructed spaces and permitted the use of relatively large doors without incurring excessive external dimensions.

The oil tank, complete with a fin-type radiator, was positioned directly underneath the forward rudder bar and had a capacity of 10 liters (2.6 gallons).

[8] The lightening along the spar's walls formed a girder, the lateral plates of which were braced using diaphragms of varying strength in accordance with the shearing stresses that were to be withstood.

The struts that connecting the wing spars with the fuselage were made from faired duralumin tubing that was suitably reinforced to appropriately handle all secondary stresses.

In August 1929, they participated in the Challenge 1929 international contest, and in January 1930, an AS.1 piloted by Renato Donati with mechanic Gino Capannini was used to set endurance, distance, and altitude records in its class, respectively 29 h 4 min 14 s, 2,746.2 km (1,706.4 mi) and 6,782 m (22,251 ft).

On 28 December 1932, Furio Niclot and Mariano Lanciani used a 127 kW (170 hp) CNA C-7, 9-cylinder radial engined example to set the seaplane altitude record in its class at 7,362 m (24,154 ft).