THEY KEEP OTHERS' HEADS SAFELY IN THE CLOUDS.

Byline: Rick Coca Special to the Daily News

VAN NUYS - With a wing walker for a mother and a bomber pilot for a father, William Groman knew early on that his future would be spent around airplanes.

Groman, 51, an aviation mechanics instructor at North Valley Occupational Center-Aviation Center at Van Nuys Airport, said some of his earliest memories occurred at 30,000 feet.

``I remember sitting on my father's lap, looking out onto the world,'' Groman said.

Today, Groman and Philip Struyk, an aviation maintenance technology instructor, pass along all they have learned in about 30 years of teaching aircraft mechanics.

Whether in the classroom or in the school's hangar, with turbojet engines and hydraulic simulators, airplanes and helicopters, the instructors convey their deep love and respect for aviation to their students.

The instructors also point out possible practical advantages. ``We've had students their first year make $100,000,'' Groman said. ``It's a wonderful profession.''

Former students can be found all over the country working for all the major airlines, including American, United and Delta Airlines.

``Some of the students we had have taken international jobs,'' Groman said.

In a job that took him as far away as Africa for six months at a time, one former student became a helicopter mechanic for a tuna-fishing boat. Tuna fishermen may use helicopters to spot schools of fish.

``He came back with $20,000, $30,000,'' Groman said. ``After two trips, he bought the helicopter and leased it back to the boat.''

Still, there is a shortage of aircraft mechanics.

As Vietnam War-era aircraft mechanics retire, there are not enough entry-level mechanics to replace them, the instructors at NVOC-Aviation Center said.

At the same time, aircraft mechanic schools are closing. When Glendale Community College closes its aviation-mechanics program in February, because of high costs and low enrollment, the NVOC program will be the only one left in the San Fernando Valley.

``The schools are closing because the students are going to other places,'' Groman said. ``We just haven't convinced high school students this is a career choice.''

The other factor in the declining numbers is the public's perception that the aviation industry is suffering in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Unlike other Southland aircraft-mechanics schools, the NVOC-Aviation Center is thriving, with about 140 to 200 students enrolled each year. Sponsored by the Los Angeles Unified School District's Division of Adult and Career Education, the two-year program is free to high school students and costs about $500 for all others.

Stephanie Lewis, assistant principal for NVOC, said LAUSD officials are aware of the importance of keeping the program alive.

``The district (staff) works hard to make sure there's funding for that program because it's so successful and so many programs are folding,'' Lewis said.

With an operational budget of about $300,000 to $350,000, Lewis said the program thrives, in part, because of its location.

``At Van Nuys Airport, any time there's a fair or exposition, our students are a part of that,'' Lewis said.

Groman and Struyk are particularly proud of their older students.

``They work a graveyard shift and come here bleary-eyed because they want to support their families,'' Groman said. ``These are hard-core students. We always have a pot of coffee brewing.''

Yenyfer Cortez, 22, of Pacoima is one of those students. For a month now, the mother of two children, ages 3 and 9 months, has ridden three buses to get to the aviation center after other work.

Groman calls Cortez a star pupil.

``I can't wait until the day I get my license,'' said Cortez.

Groman's son is currently enrolled in another school for aircraft mechanics. Aviation has been beckoning to the family since one of Groman's grandfathers felt the lure in World War I.

``My son will be the fourth generation in aviation,'' he said.

Rick Coca, [phone]

rick.coca(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Bill Boege, a second-year student in aircraft mechanics, works on an oil pump from an airplane in a class at Van Nuys Airport.

(2) William Groman, right, instructs aircraft-mechanics students, from left, Samuel Romero, Yenyfer Cortez and Roy Tesoro.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer