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Clark Lunsford |
An Aviator's Perspective in Atlantic City
Clark Lunsford
December 2008
A love of aviation has been a driving force in Clark Lunsford's life on both a professional and personal level. A veteran multi-discipline systems engineer in MITRE's Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD), Lunsford has supported a variety of projects in his 24 years with the company. "Generally speaking, I have mostly worked in operations' concepts, requirements, and benefits assessment for new capabilities across all the air traffic control [ATC] domains—this includes the tower, terminal, en route, traffic management, and oceanic domains."
He continues, "Right now my primary project is wake turbulence procedure development—the project focuses mostly on terminal area procedures to try to safely increase arrival and departure capacity through better knowledge of wake behavior." Since increasing the number of planes and reducing the separation between aircraft could result in an increased risk of wake encounters, developing procedures for reliably avoiding such turbulence is key. "This project is a joint effort between the Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] and the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation [EUROCONTROL] and may result in changes in aircraft weight categories and wake separation requirements.
"I also support research in improved visual operations, specifically working on ways to improve arrival and departure operations with certain automatic dependent surveillance—broadcast applications." That last program, also known as ADS-B, enables airplanes to transmit critical information on their location, speed, and altitude to other planes in their vicinity and to ground stations connected to air traffic control centers. It's considered a giant step forward in the evolution of air traffic management.
Much of the research and analysis Lunsford does requires an innovative approach. "The work is challenging and requires creative solutions," he says. "It's a big part of what I enjoy most here. I also feel fortunate to have great colleagues at MITRE and the FAA, as well as the other organizations I work with, including EUROCONTROL, NASA, and individual ATC facilities."
The Lure of the Jersey Shore
When Lunsford started at MITRE in 1984, he was working in the corporation's McLean, Va., headquarters. Then in 1998 he was offered the opportunity to become a project team manager at the Atlantic City, N.J., site. "I had been flying our plane up to Ocean City, N.J., on weekends for the previous two summers doing banner towing along the beach," he says. "So I was familiar with the area, and my wife and I thought it would be fun for the family to live near the beach. It was a nice opportunity because I continued spending half my time on my McLean project and half my time on the new work in the group I took over."
MITRE's Atlantic City, New Jersey site
Established in 1965, MITRE's Atlantic City, New Jersey, site has long supported the FAA and its lab staff in the testing of aviation concepts, capabilities, and operations. The site is located near the William J. Hughes Technical Center—the FAA's largest research and development center. Approximately 30 staff work at MITRE's Atlantic City site. |
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This wasn't his first experience being a project team manager, however. "My initial four-year stint as project team manager was for an advanced automation system requirements project while in McLean. My second stint was for the controller pilot data link communications project here in Atlantic City."
Lunsford notes that there was an added benefit in relocating to New Jersey. "With the technological capabilities we now have, it's not that much different from being in McLean," he says. "The teleconferencing and video conferencing equipment enables me to meet with people in several different locations. And I have a lot less traffic getting to and from work!"
An Uplifting Volunteer Experience
In his free time, Lunsford teaches and trains with the Cape May County Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol in New Jersey. This past summer he ran a glider encampment for 12 cadets from the New Jersey Wing. "The purpose of the encampment was to provide training for the cadets, some of whom had never flown a glider," he explains. The cadets on average had 12 glider flights during the week-long encampment. The flights were done in conjunction with daily ground school where the cadets learned the principles of aerodynamics, airport operations, safety and weather. "We conducted more than 150 flights that week and helped the cadets earn their supervised solo wings," he adds.
"I feel very fortunate that MITRE gave me the time off to run the encampment," he says. He was able to use "civic time"—an employee benefit where MITRE grants (with prior approval) up to a week of paid time off to perform volunteer commitments that require absences during the workday.
His love of aviation is clearly evident. "I really like flying small airplanes in South Jersey. There are lots of small airports and grass fields. I do banner towing along the beach some weekends during the summer, and the water and the beaches are just beautiful from 500 feet."
—by Kay M. Upham
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