Penn College engineering design grad’s career takes ‘flight’

Clark W. Fuller faced a crossroads: continue to muddle through school or strive for excellence. The Pennsylvania College of Technology alumnus chose the latter. Today, as a key contributor for an aerospace startup, he is grateful for that wise decision.

Fuller is modeling and simulation lead at Hop Flyt, which aspires to be a trailblazer in the advanced aerial mobility industry. Based in Salisbury, Maryland, the company is developing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. In other words, emission-free aircraft that can lift off, hover and land like a helicopter yet fly like a plane.

“Our aircraft are going to use lightweight composites and distributed electric propulsion,” said Fuller, who earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering design technology in 2017.

The names of the developmental aircraft would make a meteorologist smile: Squall, a 40-pound drone; Cyclone, a 330-pound unmanned aerial vehicle; and Venturi, a four-passenger plane envisioned as an air taxi of sorts.

Squall should be available to consumers by next fall, while experimental versions of Cyclone and Venturi are a few years away, according to Fuller.

All three aircraft incorporate the channel wing technology and design patented by Hop Flyt. The four channels are semicircular wings with the propellors and motors at the rear. The channels are attached to standard straight wings but rotate separately from the wings: up for takeoff and hovering and forward for fixed-wing flight.

In describing the intricacies of the aircraft, the enthusiastic Fuller – a native of Dimock in Susquehanna County – sounds like a veteran aerospace design engineer. That fluency developed over time, thanks in part to his Penn College degree, which exposed him to various computer-aided design programs.

“Coming into Hop Flyt, I didn’t have to learn how to use a CAD program. I could easily pick up on other software and build off that initial knowledge,” he said. “I felt like I had a good solid foundation, and from there, through self-study, I could build upon it to fit more into the aerospace and aviation side.”

The combination of taking an AutoCAD class in high school and fixing mowers as part of his lawn care job at a cemetery led Fuller to engineering design at Penn College.

“Seeing those tiny components inside of an engine, how that is all modeled as an assembly, how it all works together, I took that interest in small engines and interest in AutoCAD and found Penn College,” he said. “They offered pretty much exactly what I was looking for.”

Specifically, Fuller wanted hands-on CAD experience from day one.

“Instead of learning about it (CAD) in theory, doing it in the environment was very appealing,” he said.

But Fuller’s first two years in college were a bit aimless. He performed well in most of his engineering design courses but slacked off in other required classes and electives. And near the end of his sophomore year, Fuller’s father, who worked for Penn State Extension, died unexpectedly.

“I was goofing off and needed to change,” he admitted. “It was because of my father that I had the privilege of a tuition discount to attend a Penn State-affiliated school. I felt ashamed that I was not taking advantage of this opportunity and performing to my fullest potential. I wanted to make him proud even though I knew he wasn’t going to be there in person to see me walk the stage.”

Guidance from Katherine A. Walker, assistant professor of engineering design technology, also inspired Fuller.

“Mrs. Walker sat me down and was concerned. She really cared about how well I was doing and my well-being,” he recalled. “She was a really big influence on me and steered me in the right direction.”

“It is tough when a student encounters any kind of setback, but the death of a parent can be enormous,” said Walker, who retired last year. “Clark connected with his professors and knew how much they cared about him accomplishing his goals and wanting him to carve out a successful future. I do believe that foundation helped Clark with finding his way after his dad’s passing.”

Fuller made the Dean’s List as a junior and a year later graduated with a 3.67 GPA in his major and an overall GPA of 3.21.

“He was resilient, got back on track and accomplished his academic goals,” Walker said.

By graduation, Fuller was already working part time for Hop Flyt, which was founded in 2016 by the husband-and-wife team of Rob and Lucille Winston. Both have sterling resumes. A retired U.S. Marine, Rob served as an operational test pilot, aircraft program manager, NASA test engineer, and aircraft designer and builder. Lucille’s background includes working as a propulsion engineer for the U.S. Navy and lead engineer for aerospace defense programs. Both also have a strong connection to Fuller.

They are his aunt and uncle.

When Hop Flyt was in its infancy, Fuller had a holiday dinner conversation with Rob and Lucille, who expressed their need for someone to devise a model in CAD.

“I was like, ‘That’s exactly what I’m doing for college!’” Fuller said.

His skills and general interest in aviation proved to be a perfect match for Hop Flyt. Eight years later, Fuller is one of seven full-time employees at the company. The majority of his days are spent creating models, animations and simulations for aircraft parts and assemblies.

Fuller’s “many-hats job” also requires producing subscale prototypes via 3D printing and a three-axis computer-numerical-control machine.

“I think what I really like most is seeing an entire assembly that you spent a couple years working on – and all the individual parts – and see it all come together and seeing the whole thing fly. It’s extremely rewarding,” he said.

He experienced that feeling recently watching the flying prototype of Squall. Fuller is responsible for most of the drone’s mechanical design and assembly.

“It’s been really, really cool,” he said. “I’m super proud of that drone and how capable it is of being able to go into a hover at over 60 knots and being able to level itself out at a dead stop and then land exactly where it needs to land.”

Walker is proud of her former student.

“While I always had confidence in Clark’s skill set, it can be difficult to find that niche position. To get such an opportunity with Hop Flyt was ideal for Clark and to learn about his accomplishments is amazing,” she said.

And the root of that success can be traced to his last two years in college.

“I buckled down and really focused on trying to get all that I could out of being at Penn College,” Fuller said.

A wise decision indeed.

To learn more about engineering design technology and other degrees offered by Penn College’s School of Engineering Technologies, call 570-327-4520.

Penn College is a national leader in applied technology education. Email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222 for more information.