The central detector of the Axial Field Spectrometer (AFS) is a cylindrical drift chamber using a “bicycle-wheel” geometry. Its design has been optimized for jet-like events with high track densities. This is accomplished through a high degree of azimuthal segmentation (4° sectors) with up to 42 space points per track, using measurements of drift time and charge division. Particle identification in the non-relativistic region is obtained by (dE/dx) sampling. The detector is operated in an inhomogeneous magnetic field at event rates of typically >5 X 10^s collisions per second. Preliminary results will be presented on the detector performance achieved after the first months of operation at the ISR.