[2] Colonial Air Transport then flew the prototype (registered NX7962) on charter operations between New York City and Boston while a definitive version for the airlines was developed under the designation K-78D.

TAT's technical committee, under the leadership of Charles Lindbergh, selected the Patrician over five other aircraft: the Curtiss Condor, Boeing 80A, Ford Trimotor, Fokker F.10, and a Sikorsky biplane .

Lindbergh himself flew the Patrician to various stops across the United States to research routes and provide an opportunity for TAT to generate publicity for the planned service.

One of these stops turned into a fiasco when the Patrician became bogged in mud while landing at Mills Field, San Francisco, requiring the various dignitaries aboard to be unloaded while the aircraft was dug out.

Certification was obtained on 30 October 1929,[3] but before the initial intended batch of ten Patricians could be produced, the Great Depression made itself felt, and the market disappeared.