{"id":18485693,"date":"2026-08-31T11:28:48","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T09:28:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/nasa-ad-1-oblique-scissor-wing-aircraft\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T23:02:41","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T21:02:41","slug":"nasa-ad-1-oblique-scissor-wing-aircraft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/nasa-ad-1-oblique-scissor-wing-aircraft\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA AD-1: The Plane With a Wing That Swung Sideways"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\n\n<style>\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid #0F1720;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;font-weight:700;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;transition:background .15s,color 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Then, in the air, the whole wing slowly pivots &mdash; not sweeping symmetrically back on both sides like a fighter, but rotating flat around its centre, until one tip points forward and the other trails behind, the wing lying diagonally across the fuselage like a scissor blade. It looks like something has gone badly wrong. It had not. It was the whole point.<\/p><p>This was the NASA AD-1, and between 1979 and 1982 it flew 79 times to prove one of the strangest good ideas in aeronautics: the oblique wing.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;padding:20px 24px;margin:24px 0;border-radius:8px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.7\"><strong style=\"font-size:17px\">Quick Facts<\/strong><br><strong>Aircraft:<\/strong> NASA AD-1 (Ames-Dryden 1) Oblique Wing Research Aircraft<br><strong>Concept:<\/strong> NASA engineer Robert T. Jones; airframe designed by Burt Rutan<br><strong>First flight:<\/strong> 21 December 1979, Edwards AFB<br><strong>The trick:<\/strong> A single straight wing that pivoted up to 60&deg; across the fuselage<br><strong>Programme:<\/strong> 79 flights, 1979&ndash;1982<br><strong>Promise:<\/strong> Wind-tunnel studies suggested up to twice the fuel economy at high speed<\/div>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The scissors wing<\/h2>\r\n<p>The idea came from Robert T. Jones, a largely self-taught but brilliant NASA aerodynamicist. His calculations and wind-tunnel work suggested that at high speed a single wing set at an angle across the aircraft &mdash; oblique rather than swept &mdash; would generate far less drag than conventional wings. For a supersonic airliner, he estimated, the payoff could be enormous: up to twice the fuel economy. Jones knew exactly how odd it looked, and he had a ready answer for the sceptics.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><em>&ldquo;Artifacts created by humans show a nearly irresistible tendency for bilateral symmetry.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\">Robert T. Jones &mdash; NASA aerodynamicist and inventor of the oblique wing<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZMfprvqIXu8\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/ad1-wing-movement-multiexposure.jpg\" alt=\"Multiple-exposure image of the AD-1 wing pivoting\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A NASA multiple-exposure photograph captures the AD-1&rsquo;s single wing pivoting through its range, from straight to fully oblique. Photo: NASA.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The little demonstrator<\/h2>\r\n<p>To test the concept without betting a fortune, NASA built something deliberately cheap and slow: the AD-1, a tiny fibreglass jet barely bigger than a home-built, pushed along by two small turbojets. The oblique-wing concept was Jones&rsquo;s; the actual little airframe was designed by Burt Rutan &mdash; the same maverick behind the Voyager and the asymmetric Boomerang &mdash; and built by Ames Industrial Corporation.<\/p><p>On 21 December 1979, NASA test pilot Thomas McMurtry lifted it off the lakebed at <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-bases\/edwards\/\">Edwards Air Force Base<\/a> for the first time, wing straight, in a gentle 45-minute hop. It was the first flight of a piloted oblique-wing aeroplane in history.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><em>&ldquo;&lsquo;Have you ever seen a bird with an oblique wing?&rsquo; No &mdash; but nor do birds fly faster than sound.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\">Robert T. Jones &mdash; his standard reply to sceptics<\/div><\/div>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Straight to sixty degrees<\/h2>\r\n<p>Over the next two years the team crept the wing round in careful steps &mdash; 15 degrees, 20, 45 &mdash; and on 24 April 1981 finally swung it all the way to the 60-degree design angle, proving that an oblique-wing aircraft really could be flown. But it was not pleasant. As the angle increased, the aircraft&rsquo;s handling grew steadily worse, its motions cross-coupled and awkward; one pilot reportedly likened flying it to pushing a shopping cart with a bad wheel. The concept worked, but taming its quirks on a full-size airliner would demand sophisticated computer flight control that did not yet exist.<\/p>\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/08\/ad1-wing-swept-60.jpg\" alt=\"The AD-1 with its wing swept to 60 degrees\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The AD-1 with its wing rotated to the full 60-degree oblique angle &mdash; one tip forward, one aft. Photo: NASA.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/e8hwghhlPSA\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Why we still don&rsquo;t fly oblique<\/h2>\r\n<p>The oblique wing never quite dies. NASA and Northrop later studied full-size oblique flying wings, and the Pentagon has periodically funded fresh looks at the idea, always drawn by that promise of low supersonic drag. But the combination of demanding flight control, structural headaches, and the simple fact that it looks alarming has kept it on the ground. The AD-1 itself now sits quietly in a museum, its wing straight.<\/p><p>Still, it did something few experimental aircraft manage: it turned a genuinely bizarre theory into a real aeroplane that flew, and flew safely, 79 times. Like Rutan&rsquo;s lopsided Boomerang, the AD-1 is proof that in aviation, symmetry is a habit &mdash; not a law of nature.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KqZDHBe2KlE\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<p style=\"font-style:italic;color:#777;font-size:14px\">Sources: NASA (&ldquo;Thinking Obliquely,&rdquo; Bruce I. Larrimer); NASA Armstrong\/Dryden fact sheets; Wikipedia; Hiller Aviation Museum.<\/p>\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\n\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\n\n\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What was the NASA AD-1?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">An experimental aircraft that flew 79 times between 1979 and 1982 to test the oblique wing &mdash; a single straight wing that pivoted flat across the fuselage in flight, up to 60 degrees, so one tip pointed forward and the other trailed behind.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Who invented the oblique wing?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">NASA aerodynamicist Robert T. Jones, a largely self-taught but brilliant engineer. The AD-1 airframe itself was designed by Burt Rutan.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why would an asymmetric wing be better?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Because at high speed a single wing set obliquely across the aircraft generates far less drag than conventional swept wings. Jones estimated that for a supersonic airliner the payoff could be up to twice the fuel economy.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>When did the AD-1 first fly?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">21 December 1979, at Edwards Air Force Base.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why do no oblique-wing aircraft exist today?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Partly engineering and partly instinct. Jones was well aware of the second problem, observing that artifacts created by humans show a nearly irresistible tendency for bilateral symmetry. The concept was proven to fly, but never adopted.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What was the NASA AD-1?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"An experimental aircraft that flew 79 times between 1979 and 1982 to test the oblique wing \u2014 a single straight wing that pivoted flat across the fuselage in flight, up to 60 degrees, so one tip pointed forward and the other trailed behind.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Who invented the oblique wing?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"NASA aerodynamicist Robert T. Jones, a largely self-taught but brilliant engineer. 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The concept was proven to fly, but never adopted.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/rutan-boomerang-asymmetric-twin-engine-out-safety\/\">The Rutan Boomerang: Built Lopsided on Purpose<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/grumman-x-29-forward-swept-wing-experimental-jet\/\">The Grumman X-29: Wings on Backwards<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Share this story Picture a small jet taking off with a perfectly ordinary straight wing. Then, in the air, the whole wing slowly pivots &mdash; not sweeping symmetrically back on both sides like a fighter, but rotating flat around its centre, until one tip points forward and the other trails behind, the wing lying diagonally [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":18485195,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[665,666],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18485693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aviation-world","category-history-and-legends"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>NASA AD-1: The Oblique Wing That Swung Sideways<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The NASA AD-1 had a single wing that pivoted up to 60 degrees. 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