Profile: Martin Camero

There, he built a 5,000-foot-long dirt landing strip. From the runway, it’s a short hop to his house. Sometimes, he flies there on a weekly basis to check on his cattle operation, saying it’s a great way to get away from the stress of Venezuela’s troubled economic and political scene. Camero also owns a Toyota assembly plant, which builds trucks under the Hino marketing name.

To see him landing the Mustang at the dirt strip, go to YouTube and search “Citation Mustang landing in dirty runway.”

The Camero family has strong roots in flying. Martin’s father, Omar, who came from a poor background and worked his way up the corporate ladder to lead Televen, learned to fly in a Piper J–3 Cub in 1958, and wasted no time in buying a succession of ever-grander airplanes. Up the pyramid he climbed, giving Martin the flying bug as he went. After the Cub (which is still in the Camero family fleet), he bought a Cessna 172, Cessna 182, Beechcraft Debonair, Cessna Skymaster, Beech Baron 55, Beech Duke, Swearingen Merlin, Lear 24, Lear 35, Beech King Air F90, Falcon 10, Hawker 800, and—last but not least—a Bombardier Challenger 604.

Camero earned his pilot certificate in 1979, and began his own march up through a series of airplane ownerships. His first airplane was a Cessna 206; then came a Beech Baron B58P, a Beech King Air C90, a Bonanza V35, a Cessna 340, a Twin Commander 840, and now the Mustang.

Camero flies an average of 150 hours per year, using the Mustang for business and pleasure. Besides the ranch, he regularly visits Manaus, Brazil, where he’s hooked on fishing for peacock bass (pun intended)—a huge fish that pushes 30 pounds. Other destinations include visits to family in Puerto Plata and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, as well as Miami.

Then there are the monthly business trips to Bogota, Columbia. But when asked if he flies more for business or pleasure, he paused ever so slightly, gave a guilt-free smile, and said, “Oh, pleasure, definitely.”

Email [email protected]