Uploaded October 2008 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This 13 second movie clip shows the AD-1 during a research flight .
The AD-1 was designed as a low-cost/low-speed research aircraft to test a pivot wing design. The AD-1 took off with its wing positioned at a right angle with the fuselage. Once in the air, the wing would rotate on its pivot point on the fuselage until it formed a 60 degree angle. The goal was to design a high-speed transport with low drag. The AD-1 made a total of 79 flights, but adverse handling at sharp sweep angles made the approach less attractive.
This 13 second movie clip shows the AD-1 during a research flight .
The AD-1 was designed as a low-cost/low-speed research aircraft to test a pivot wing design. The AD-1 took off with its wing positioned at a right angle with the fuselage. Once in the air, the wing would rotate on its pivot point on the fuselage until it formed a 60 degree angle. The goal was to design a high-speed transport with low drag. The AD-1 made a total of 79 flights, but adverse handling at sharp sweep angles made the approach less attractive.
