Students from two San Fernando Valley high schools were treated to an aviation career exploration tour at Van Nuys Airport on Friday, April 12, sponsored by Clay Lacy Aviation and the North Valley Occupational Center.
Arleta High School and Polytechnic High School students got to see Clay Lacy Aviation’s hanger closeup as part of an aviation career tour at the airport. They delved into the world of aviation and learned about career opportunities not only as pilots or flight attendants but also as attorneys, mechanics and customer service professionals — to name a few.
“(Today) gave them a spark of curiosity,” said Van Nuys Airport Manager Paul Herrera.
Herrera believes this type of exposure to youth inspires the next generation of aviation professionals, by showcasing the industry’s opportunities.
Nicole Lillingston, a 17-year-old junior at Arleta High School, was one of two dozen students who saw firsthand the many facets of airport operations, from aircraft maintenance facilities to air traffic control towers.
“My future is in music,” Lillingston said. “But it was interesting to see the workshops and how they make engines and work on an actual plane.”
She admitted that becoming a pilot could be her plan B.
Her classmate, Monique De Nava, is set on becoming an ultrasound technician, but her plan B could also be to get a pilot license.
“I liked the energy (here),” De Nava said. “It was nice and welcoming. Aviation offers a lot of opportunities.”
Fewer than 10% of licensed pilots in the U.S. are women, and the percent of women in maintenance fields is in the single digits, according to a 2022 report by the Women in Aviation Advisory Board established by the U.S. Congress.
While participation of women in the overall U.S. workforce has increased dramatically in four decades, the percentage in aviation hasn’t appreciably changed, according to the report.
And as part of the day’s events, 19 students who graduated from the North Valley Occupational Center’s aircraft mechanic tech program, based at the airport, were given scholarships.
Mechanics and technicians require a Federal Aviation Administration license to work on airplanes, and the scholarships help them achieve that goal, according to Emilio Mendez, assistant principal of the program.
“We have received $80,000-plus in scholarships from Clay Lacy over the past eight years,” Mendez said.
Nabi Hemmatyar, a mechanic at a Van Nuys-based jet maintenance facility specializing in Gulfstream aircrafts, was among the recipients.
The 23-year-old, who has an affinity for World War II aircraft, cemented his dream in aviation after visiting a Camarillo airplane museum.
“On one of the slower days, they showed me the maintenance hangers where they work on airplanes and asked me if I wanted to take out some spark plugs of a (Grumman) F8F Bearcat,” Hemmatyar said. “How cool was that? I was hooked. I still volunteer there.”
Hemmatyar said his job requires heavy-duty maintenance.
“If a jet breaks down, it could be disastrous,” he added. “The work that we do is critical to the safety of the flight.”