Bradley Flick, who led NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center and advanced aeronautics research, will retire March 19 after nearly four decades of service.
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NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center Director Bradley Flick will retire March 19, concluding a nearly 40-year career that began in 1986 as a flight systems engineer at the Edwards, California facility. Flick rose through the ranks to lead one of NASA's premier aeronautics research centers, which conducts cutting-edge flight testing and technology validation.
The Armstrong Flight Research Center operates NASA's Flight Demonstrations and Capabilities (FDC) project, which conducts complex integrated small-scale flight research to validate new aerospace technologies. The center modifies aircraft from its support fleet to enable aggressive flight campaign schedules, supporting technology maturation across all readiness levels from experimental concepts to near-operational systems.
Flick's tenure spanned critical decades in aeronautics research, overseeing programs that bridge the gap between laboratory concepts and flight-ready technologies. The center's work includes safety chase operations and in-flight experimental measurements across various research initiatives, contributing to advances in aircraft design and flight systems.
His retirement represents a significant leadership transition at a facility central to NASA's aeronautics mission. The Armstrong center's role in validating emerging technologies directly impacts both NASA's research portfolio and the broader aerospace industry's technological advancement, particularly in experimental aircraft and flight systems development.