 With the transfer of this part of the flight test mission to the newly formed Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, he advanced to Assistant Chief of the Flight Test Engineering Laboratory in 1951.Paul Bikle was technical director of the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base in September 1959, when he was named Director of the NASA Flight Research Center (FRC) at Edwards, California.In July 1962 he was awarded the NASA Medal for Outstanding Leadership for his part in directing flight operations and research activities on the highly successful rocket-powered X-15 program.