The aircraft was flown 79 times during the research program, which evaluated the basic pivot-wing concept and gathered information on handling qualities and aerodynamics at various speeds and degrees of pivot.

[1] The oblique wing concept was later promoted by Robert T. Jones, an aeronautical engineer at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California.

As the aircraft gained speed, the wing would be pivoted to increase the oblique angle, thereby reducing the drag and decreasing fuel consumption.

A fixed tricycle landing gear, mounted close to the fuselage to lessen aerodynamic drag, gave the aircraft a very "squatty" appearance on the ground.

The research program to validate the oblique wing concept was typical of any NASA high-risk project — to advance through each test element and expand the operating envelope, methodically and carefully.

The final flight of the AD-1 did not occur at Dryden, however, but at the Experimental Aircraft Association's (EAA) annual exhibition at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where it was flown eight times to demonstrate its unique configuration.

Following the flight research, Jones still considered the oblique wing as a viable lift concept for large transoceanic or transcontinental transports.

This particular low-speed, low-cost research vehicle, however, exhibited aeroelastic and pitch-roll-coupling effects that contributed to poor handling qualities at sweep angles above 45 degrees.