The first “A” in NASA stands for aeronautics. The Glenn Research Center in Cleveland is just one of several NASA centers conducting revolutionary research to make flying cleaner, safer and quieter.
But the interests of many NASA employees extend beyond the professional. Meet a handful of NASA Glenn employees who have a personal connection to aviation at work and beyond.
Jared Berg
Thermal Subsystem Manager for Gateways Power and Drive Element
Planting the seed: Berg grew up reading aviation books in his family and building model airplanes. Attending the EAA AirVenture air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, during his childhood inspired him to pursue flight training once he had a full-time job at NASA.
Join the club: Berg is currently a member of the NASAIRS Flying Club at NASA Glenn, which he says makes flying more accessible to him and allows him to constantly learn from other pilots.
Aim high: Berg has been flying for pleasure for over a decade now and considers it a part of his everyday life. “Flying allows you to escape the mundane and adds a touch of adventure to travel,” Berg said. “You also experience nature, especially the weather, but also the land you’re flying over, in a relatively unadulterated and somewhat personal way.”
Lindsay Kaldon
Project Manager for Nuclear Fission Energy
Air Force and Astronauts: Kaldon’s father was an Air Force F-16 crew chief and a member of the Thunderbirds demonstration team, so she was familiar with jets as a child. “Every day there was an air show at the base where they trained,” Kaldon said. After earning a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Kaldon joined the Air Force herself in hopes of one day becoming an astronaut.
Going alone: Kaldon later earned her private pilot’s license and says she will always remember her first solo cross-country flight. She chose Kitty Hawk as her destination, the site of the Wright brothers’ first flight.
Keep the energy: A monument along the runway at Kitty Hawk is engraved with words that Kaldon always remembers as she overcomes difficult challenges in her work at NASA. “It says, ‘Achieved by undaunted determination and unwavering faith.’ The Wright brothers faced a lot of doubters who didn’t believe flight was possible. But they proved them wrong and never gave up,” Kaldon said. “I like that. When things get tough, I just close my eyes and think of that phrase.”
Lori Manthey
Head of Administrative Services and Head of Stock Exchange Operations
Head in the clouds: After a trial flight in a small Cessna 150, Manthey became fascinated with flying. After landing a full-time job at NASA, she spent weekends and evenings flying a single-engine Piper Tomahawk training plane at Lorain County Regional Airport to earn her private pilot’s license. “I love the feeling of floating in the air and seeing the world below,” she said.
Women in Aviation: Manthey is passionate about promoting and supporting female pilots and is currently the chair of the Lake Erie chapter of the Ninety-Nines, an organization founded by Amelia Earhart in 1929. She is also a member of the Cleveland chapter of Women in Aviation.
Looking to the future: Every year, Manthey participates in Girls in Aviation Day at Cleveland’s Burke Lakefront Airport to introduce girls to the world of aviation. “I think it’s so important to encourage young women and girls to become part of the next generation of female pilots,” she said.
Back in the cockpit: Manthey is currently working on her instrument rating, which will allow her to fly “blind” in cloudy and foggy weather.
Waldo J. Acosta
Senior Plant Engineer for Icing Research Tunnel
Family ties: During Acosta’s childhood, Acosta’s father, a former NASA researcher named Glenn, took his family on work trips to the EAA AirVenture air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. “I fell in love with everything related to flight during those trips, and they laid the foundation early on for my path to working in aviation,” Acosta said.
Next Steps: Acosta began taking flight lessons while studying aerospace engineering at Ohio State University and eventually received his private pilot’s license.
Safety first: Acosta oversees testing and maintenance at NASA’s Glenn Icing Research Tunnel and is now directly involved in flight safety research. The facility, the world’s longest-operating icing wind tunnel, helps NASA and industry study how ice affects aircraft and test anti-icing systems and tools.
Fly the full circle: Acosta still participates in air shows at every opportunity and has taken both his father and his wife into the clouds.
