Childhood Passion for Model Planes Fuels Work at NASA's Subscale Flight Research Lab

Before contributing to aerospace research at NASA, engineers Derek Abramson, Justin Hall, and Justin Link spent time in garages and homes building radio-controlled aircraft, according to a report published by NASA Breaking News.

The three tested designs and flew their creations at hobby events during their early years, the agency said. That early interest in aviation now informs their work at NASA's Dale Reed Subscale Flight Research Laboratory, located at the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center.

According to NASA, the laboratory is named after Dale Reed, a former NASA engineer known for his contributions to subscale flight testing methods. The facility is used to develop and test smaller-scale aircraft models as part of broader aerospace research efforts.

NASA's report characterizes the work of Abramson, Hall, and Link as an extension of skills and enthusiasm they developed as hobbyists before joining the agency. Further details on their specific projects and roles at the laboratory were not included in the excerpt reviewed for this report.

NASA did not provide additional information in the excerpt regarding the scope of ongoing research at the Subscale Flight Research Laboratory or timelines for related projects.