NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has named Bradley Flick director of the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif., effective immediately.
At the same time, the administrator also has named Dave Mitchell to fill the role as acting director of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., effective Jan. 1.
Flick has served as the acting director of Armstrong since July.
“Brad is a compassionate leader with a long career in revolutionizing air transportation, developing sustainable aviation, and nurturing a diverse and inclusive workforce,” Nelson said. “Under Brad’s leadership, NASA Armstrong will continue to innovate and keep America at the forefront of aviation and aerospace advancements.”
At Armstrong, Flick will oversee a center that continues to advance and secure America’s leadership in aeronautics, Earth and space science, and aerospace technology that will revolutionize aviation, as well as the successful first flights of the agency’s first all-electric experimental aircraft, and the quiet supersonic aircraft.
“I’m humbled to be considered worthy of this position and honored to be selected,” Flick shared. “We’re riding on the shoulders of legendary flight researchers and the discoveries they made here over the last 75 years. Our missions will continue to change and evolve, but there are still exciting opportunities for discovery through flight. I look forward to leading the team in making those discoveries.”
NASA Armstrong is the agency’s lead center for atmospheric flight research, operations, and testing, and continues to accelerate advances in science, technology, and exploration to enhance knowledge, education, innovation, economic vitality, and stewardship of Earth.
Armstrong supports the agency by providing flight research and development for NASA aeronautics as well as global flight operations and development for NASA science in support of astrophysics and Earth science. Armstrong supports the agency’s human space flight and space technology efforts through atmospheric flight validation.
Flick was the deputy center director from February to July 2022. Prior to that, Flick was the director for Research and Engineering at NASA Armstrong and was responsible for the technical and administrative management of the Research and Engineering Directorate’s engineering workforce. The directorate is responsible for design, development, analysis, and testing of research and experimental aerospace systems in the Aerodynamics, Propulsion, Structures, Avionics, and Flight Instrumentation discipline areas, as well as leading the Systems Engineering and Integration efforts for the center’s flight projects and programs.
Flick served as NASA Armstrong center chief engineer from October 2005 to September 2009. He was responsible for providing independent technical guidance and oversight to flight projects to ensure conformance with center and agency standards, policies, and processes. He served as chair of the Airworthiness and Flight Safety Review Board, for which he was responsible for determining and providing the appropriate level of independent technical review for each project prior to flight.
Flick began his career at the Dryden Flight Research Center, now NASA Armstrong, in 1986 as a flight systems engineer on the F/A-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV) project. In 1988, he transferred to the Operations Engineering Branch, where he continued work on the HARV project with a lead role in the development of several experimental systems, including the thrust vectoring control system, emergency electrical and hydraulic systems, the spin recovery parachute system, and an actuated nose strake system. He served as mission controller on approximately 100 HARV research flights.
Flick’s management career started when he served as Flight Systems Branch Chief from 1998 to 2001. From 2001 to 2005, he served in an acting capacity as associate director for Flight Operations, deputy director for Research Engineering, and director of Engineering.
Flick received a Bachelor of Science in electrical and computer engineering in 1986 from Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York, and a Master of Engineering in engineering management in 1997 from Rochester Institute of Technology in New York.
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