After graduating from MIT, Abbott started working for Langley Aeronautical Laboratory in 1929.

[1] He contributed significantly to the establishment of high-speed research programs and published numerous technical reports on aerodynamics.

As Assistant Director of NACA, Abbott was decisive in keeping Ames Research Center focused on research instead of moving into operations during the development of the proposed Orbiting Astronomical Observatory in 1960.

[2] Abbott supervised the X-15, supersonic transport, nuclear rocket and advanced reentry programs.

In recognition for his "outstanding contributions" to airfoil research and his leadership, he was inducted into the first round of the NACA/NASA Hall of Fame on August 13, 2015.